Demonic Miko: Hikaru
by Meya Orion
Summary: Can there be a demon miko? Yes, and her name is Hikaru.
1. Default Chapter

I like to thank Adam for introducing 'Inuyasha' to me and for helping with the editing. Note: I am writing based off of the on-line manga. It is easier to keep up with.  
  
Juanyu hurried as fast as he could through the forest with a load of firewood on his back. The day was closing and evening was well under way. He had hoped to be back home before now, but he had gotten distracted. He thought that he had smelled the scent of a demon, but it proved to be nothing. Now he was running to get back home. If he was in his wolf form, it wouldn't take so long, but it was too soon after his last transformation.  
  
The wind whipped through his tan vest and around the matching pants. He didn't wear shoes and his long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Around his neck was a crystal hanging from a short leather thong. Inside the crystal there looked like four hairs. Juanyu was a strong young man of eighteen and not ugly as well. He probably would have been married by now if it weren't for his curse.  
  
As he emerged from the woods he paused and took in the scene before him. The village was a peaceful farming community of about a hundred surrounded on two sides by the mountains while a lake and the forest bordered the other sides.  
  
The houses were clustered around a bell tower that was rung in times of danger. By now most of the villagers would be inside and wouldn't come out until morning. Despite the peace that had been brought here for the past two years, some things hadn't yet changed. He sighed and headed for the other side of the village. It was there that he lived with the village's savior, Hikaru. It was because of her that the village knew peace again after seven years of darkness, terror, and insanity.  
  
She had made her home little ways outside of town. Some of the villagers feared her because of her heritage just as they still feared Juanyu because of what he had become. Neither were their faults, and it angered him that they should be treated like this. But would Hikaru scold gently and told him that not everyone in the village saw them as monsters; and it was normal for humans to fear what they didn't fully understand.  
  
It consisted of a wooden hut where she lived, the smaller hut where Juanyu insisted that he sleep, the wood shed, and the large tree near the front door. It looked properly tended and lovingly cared for. Although she had only been living here for two years, Hikaru had managed to make the place seem like she had been in the village for much longer.  
  
When he reached the house and stood in the yard for a moment with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. The run had tired him out and he didn't want his lady to see him so worn out. After he got his breathing back to normal, eh removed the firewood from his back and stacked it into the wood shed. Some of it would end up as firewood, but others would be made into arrows. Juanyu liked to keep both quivers full, both he and Hikaru were excellent shots. And you never knew when they might be needed. Then he stretched and headed in. The aromas of cooked food made his mouth water and his empty stomach growl.  
  
"It is about time that you got home. I was beginning to worry, Juanyu. Now, don't make excuses. Just sit down and eat. I'll be back in a few minutes. I haven't feed the birds yet," Hikaru said. After she gathered a large basket filled with seeds, she left the one-room hut.  
  
Juanyu had to admit that she was a lovely young woman. She wore a dark kimono and trousers with a small branch thrust into her belt and went around barefoot like him. Her brown hair was kept back in a thick braid that went along her back. But it was hard to ignore the marks of her demon heritage. Her eyes were a brilliant yellow, almost gold. She had claws instead of fingernails and a pair of adorable dog-ears at the top of her head. It still baffled him at times that a half-demon like her had been able to drive the wolf-demon Sanusha away.  
  
Hikaru was truly the strangest half-demon that Juanyu had ever met (in fact, she was the only half-demon he had ever met). Despite her heritage, she had had clerical training and fairly strong powers; she could qualify to be a miko. But her spiritual energy was next to nil; she didn't know how to use it. But she was good in a fight. Hikaru was strong in the martial arts and practice diligently, often sparring with the men in the village in a few friendly bouts. Those always ended up with the men laying on the backs and Hikaru standing as victor, and on occasion sporting some bruises herself.  
  
A steaming bowl of stew was waiting on the table for him and Juanyu knew better than to wait for her to come back in to eat. So he grabbed a pair of chopsticks and dug in. Hikaru would stay outside even after the birds had their fill just listening to them. She had the talent to be able to understand what they were saying, a real gift at times. Hikaru used the birds to keep her informed as to what was going on in the forests around the village. Generally the wards she had set up the day after Sanusha was gone kept most of the more powerful demons out, a few managed to get through. Then the birds would come to the half-demon and warn her. Then the two of them would deal with it.  
  
Life wasn't that bad now, just annoying. Mostly because of his cousin, Yawnin. After Juanyu was cursed, Yawnin was the only choice to lead the village when their grandfather would die. Yawnin went out of his way to lord this fact over his cousin, and often with the intent to provoke Juanyu into a fight. The future leader had hopes of throwing both Juanyu and Hikaru out of the village and bringing in a proper priest to take their place. He had tried to provoke Hikaru, but she simply ignored him and went on about her business.  
  
Not to mention that Grandfather was still alive, healthy, and in charge. The headman was grateful to the half-demon miko for everything that she had done for the village and wouldn't hear of her leaving. And there were other villagers that felt the same way. Although many of them were afraid of her, they respected her for what she had done and relied on her to help deal with illnesses.  
  
He had just finished when she reentered the hut. He served her a bowl and went to his corner. There were some unfinished arrows from last night. Juanyu went to work silently stripping branches clean and notching both ends to fit either an arrowhead or the fletching.  
  
Hikaru watched him as she ate. Something was on his mind again, even if he wouldn't admit it. It was probably Yawnin again. Juanyu's cousin distrusted and disliked them both and would rather have them gone from the village. But the young man didn't dare go against the headman. At least not yet. He simply didn't have enough support. Several women from the village had hinted to Hikaru earlier today that Yawnin was planning something; but none of them knew what it could be.  
  
It might not be such a bad idea if she left. Her wards would still work after she was gone and Juanyu could stay to help protect his home. She had come to this country two and a half years ago to look for answers to some old questions. Instead she had found this place under a demon's rule, freed it, and stayed. Maybe it was time to continue with her search.  
  
Hikaru had grown up on a small island in a community of priests and priestesses of nature. They had taken her in as a newborn and raised her to the best of their abilities. But they didn't tell her anything about where she came from and if she had any surviving family left. Or why she had been given to them in the first place. Then their elder had spoken to her in private one night. He had told her that she had originally came from a distant land and now it was time for her to return there. He also revealed that although her parents had long since been dead, she had two older brothers still alive. She had been so happy that she had some kind of family left that she hadn't asked why she had never been told before.  
  
The next morning she had her possessions packed and was standing on the shore of the little island with the only family she had known present to say farewell. The elder handed her an egg. He told her that in order to return, she had to crack the egg on the ground. Hikaru had done as she was told and discovered herself on a strange beach.  
  
That wasn't the only thing that had happened to her. Hikaru had always been good with languages, but the egg did something to her that excelled her learning process. For within weeks of landing, she could speak the language here just as good as a native. But then she was supposed to be a native, this was her homeland.  
  
She sighed and finished her food and faintly heard someone approaching. Being in human form at the moment, Juanyu hadn't heard anything. She slowly got up and went to the curtained door.  
  
"Hello? Who's there?" she said.  
  
Out of the darkness appeared a young girl about six years old. She looked liked she had been crying and was sniffling loudly. The girl wore a plain kimono and was barefoot like most of the villagers. Hikaru recognized her at first sight.  
  
"Sora! What are you doing here? Please come in here this instant," Hikaru called out. Juanyu's little sister sobbed out loud, ran over, and wrapped her arms around Hikaru's waist. From behind her, Juanyu had rushed up when he heard the noise. He gasped at the sight of Sora while Hikaru carried the child inside the hut.  
  
"Please, Juanyu, prepare some of the stew for Sora. I'll find out what the problem is," Hikaru said. She sat down on the floor near the fire with Sora in her lap. Hikaru held Sora gently and let the girl cry on. She made soothing sounds and stroked the girl's hair. "Now, now. Tell me what the problem is, Sora."  
  
Sora sniffled for a few minutes before she answered. "Yawnin and Grandfather had another argument before dinner. Yawnin really wants to you gone, Lady Hikaru, but Grandpa doesn't want you to go! And neither does Sora!"  
  
Juanyu's expression was dark as he served his sister some of the stew. He and his cousin had never gotten along, not even as children according to the older women of the village. Hikaru's tenure in the village was just adding another inch in the rift between the two young men.  
  
Sora took the stew and ate it gratefully. The poor child had probably ran out of the house before she could eat anything. Sora was barely old enough to remember what it was like when Sanusha has ruled the village.  
  
Looking out of the window, the half-demon came to a decision. "Sora, you'll have to stay here for the night. It's too dark now for you to be out on your own. And besides, I don't want you going back there while your grandfather and cousin are still arguing tonight. I'll take you back in the morning," she said.  
  
Sora looked up from her bowl, wide-eyed. Her voice made it clear that Hikaru wouldn't take any argument from Sora or her brother about this. That was just fine with Sora. She liked being at Hikaru's hut better then living at home. Hikaru was nice and kind, despite what Yawnin said about her. And Juanyu was here too. Sora loved her brother dearly and a lot of the other children in the village liked him even though the silly grown-ups were afraid of him. Sora smiled at Hikaru and didn't argue with her. Hikaru often allowed the children to come with her when she went into the woods to gather herbs for healing potions. They were learning a lot from her. The grown-ups weren't as afraid of Hikaru as they were of her brother. Sora didn't know why.  
  
After Sora finished her stew, she helped Hikaru make some herbal medicine for the village while Juanyu continued with his arrow making. They stopped when Sora couldn't keep back her yawns. The hut was quickly cleaned and everything was put away. Juanyu left for his rooms and Hikaru settled Sora in a spare bed. The girl fell asleep quickly and was making little snores within a minute.  
  
With the hut almost to herself, Hikaru leaned back against the far wall and sighed. It would be soon now. Yawnin would find an excuse to throw her out of the village for good. The prospect of this was a mixture of sadness and joy. This village was becoming like home for her, the second that she has known in her entire life. But leaving meant that she would be able to explore more and maybe find her brothers. She fell asleep with these emotions conflicting inside of her for supremacy.  
  
  
  
It was a night of the new moon. Which meant that the group wasn't doing anything important tonight. They were going to have a nice, quiet evening and in the morning, Inuyasha would be back to normal.  
  
"This so sucks," he said to no one in particular. He was just stating his opinion on the subject of losing his powers for one night.  
  
The others had heard this complaint several times in different ways and ignored him. They had made camp in the edge of a forest that went to a ledge overlooking a river below. Kagome was boiling water for her instead food stuff while the others were tending to minor maintenance.  
  
Inuyasha looked at his friends and smiled to himself. He had never thought that one day he would have friends like Shippou, Sango, Miroku, and Kagome. It felt nice to have them around, even when they were annoying. He just wished that there were more that he could do to help and protect them. But he had to settle with what he could. And that wasn't enough. Inuyasha ignored thinking about Kikyou. Sooner or later he had to stop but the miko wouldn't leave his head.  
  
He sighed and settled back against a tree. Myouga hopped onto his knee and stared at him. "What is the matter, Lord Inuyasha?"  
  
"Nothing. Just thinking to myself," he replied and looked away. The flea- demon sighed and sat down.  
  
"Myouga, what was Inuyasha like when he was a child?" Shippou asked. He was bored and wanted to talk with someone. Inuyasha wouldn't and everyone else was busy. The little kitsune sat down by Inuyasha's knee and waited for a reply.  
  
Myouga looked at Shippou and an expression of happiness on his face. He wanted to talk too, and he was glad to talk about his master. Neither noticed that the person in question was looking at them out of one eye.  
  
"Lord Inuyasha was a most unusual child, you must admit. He wou-aaahhh!!" he screamed as Inuyasha flicked off his knee and to the campfire.  
  
"I acted just like any ordinary brat before my mother died, all right. After that, I was on my own."  
  
Kagome looked over at him, disgusted. "That wasn't very nice, Inuyasha." Myouga stumbled out of the ashes on the fire's edge and sat down, smoke rising from his blackened body.  
  
Sango looked him over with concern. "Are you all right?"  
  
Myouga shook his head and returned to his usual self. "I am all right, Sango. I was probably forgetting Lord Inuyasha's feelings on this matter. He prefers not to talk about his childhood. And he was right when he said that it was hard after his mother had died. I can only imagine what it might have been like if he not only had to look after himself but his sister as well."  
  
Silence descended on them as the whole group stared at the little flea- demon. Inuyasha leaned forward violently and lowered his face to Myouga's level.  
  
"What do you mean by 'sister'? I was the only child my mother bore!" he yelled. Miroku and Kagome pulled him back.  
  
"Let him explain, Inuyasha," Miroku advised. Kagome didn't say anything but nodded her agreement. Inuyasha settled back again but glared at the flea-demon.  
  
Myouga, now that he had a whole audience, hopped over and sat again on Inuyasha's knee. He was certain that this time he would not be sent flying off any time soon.  
  
"What you said just now wasn't necessarily true, Lord Inuyasha. You were your mother's first born, that is true. Your sister wasn't born until you were a year old. Your father was very happy at the prospect of another child. It was during her second pregnancy that he asked Toutousai to make swords for each of his children, including the unborn child. The swords were completed the day before she was born and they were delivered that morning. Your sister was born that afternoon. Oh, she was adorable. She had the family eyes and the same ears as you. The fuzz that was on her head was a light brown instead of silver. The babe was given the name Hikaru and it was decided that she would receive the Tennega when she was older."  
  
++ Tennega means 'Nature's Fang.'  
  
"What does the Tennega do?" Shippou asked.  
  
"The Tennega is supposed to allow the wielder to use the very forces of nature in an attack. But it was not meant to be."  
  
"Huh. What do you mean?" Inuyasha demanded.  
  
"Hikaru died during the night that she was born. Your parents didn't say what the cause was, but it was obvious that they were heartbroken at losing her. I don't know what your father did with the third sword, he never told me. Then he died a few months later. The rest, you know."  
  
Inuyasha looked at Myouga in surprise, "Why wasn't I ever told this?"  
  
Myouga was thoughtful for a moment. "I must assume that because you were so young at the time that it was decided to tell you when they thought you were old enough. But they died before you were grown. It is the only conclusion that I can come to."  
  
Inuyasha suddenly stood up and walked out of the camp. Myouga fell down to the ground. The others were shocked at his callous behavior but Myouga stopped them from going after him.  
  
"I should have known better. This bit of news has been kept from Lord Inuyasha for many years. It must be a shock for him to learn of it now."  
  
The others had to admit that this made sense, so they left him alone. The water was boiling by then and Kagome poured it into the ramen bowls to cook. After she set the timer for the noodles, she walked out to find Inuyasha.  
  
He was standing on the ledge that overlook the river. The moon was high in the sky tonight and it looked to her that he was thinking about what Myouga had told them. She walked up and stood beside him for a few minutes saying nothing at all. His face was a mixture of shock, sadness, and anger.  
  
"Are you all right, Inuyasha?" she asked.  
  
He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, really. I feel so confused right now. I'm mad that I was never told about my sister. I'm sad that I never got the chance to know her. And I'm shocked that she had been born at all," he said. "I also wonder what she might have been like if Hikaru was alive right now. Would she like me? What would she be like? Would we get along? How could I have pulled the two of us through childhood after Mother died? Things like that."  
  
Kagome put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a smile. "At least you know now about Hikaru, Inuyasha. And there is that third sword Toutousai made, maybe we can find it."  
  
Inuyasha looked at Kagome and had to return her smile. It was hard sometimes not to smile with her, especially when she was in her optimistic mood. He opened his mouth to reply when they heard a large thud behind them.  
  
They turned around. Behind Inuyasha was a large, amphibious looking creature that looked like a cross between a toad and a fish. The skin was a mottled blue mix and the eyes were black and oily. There were claws on the ends of its webbed feet and a tail swished back and forth behind it. When it spoke, the voice sounded more like a croak than anything else.  
  
"Inuyasha?" it said.  
  
Inuyasha grimaced and stood in front of Kagome to protect her. "Kagome, run back and get the others, quick. I don't think that it will attack you. It might be just after me," he whispered. Kagome stepped back and slowly nodded. She hesitated for a minute then broke out in a run. The fish- demon ignored her, Inuyasha was right. It wanted him.  
  
This damn thing had to come at him when he had lost his powers. Why was it that crap like this happened each new moon, he wondered. Without his powers there was little he could do. Tetsusiaga wouldn't work and he had no demon powers to use. He had to hope that Kagome would return with the others before it made its move.  
  
Unfortunately, Inuyasha underestimated how fast the demon could move on land. It was like a fish when in water, but it could be as equally as fast on land for short distances. And he was right in front of it. It leapt at him with its mouth gaping open. He didn't have the time to dodge, nor did Inuyasha have any place to dodge to. The demon caught him in its mouth in one move.  
  
By this time, Kagome had gotten the others and they were in time to see the demon take Inuyasha into its mouth then jump off the ledge. They gasped in fright and rushed to the edge and looked. The skin of the demon and the fact that it was nighttime prevented any of them from seeing where it had gone in the water.  
  
Kagome was close to tears. If only she had been faster, they might have been able to save Inuyasha from that demon. Shippou did his best to comfort her, but he was sad too. Miroku and Sango leaned against each other. None of them could refuse that Inuyasha was really gone, most likely taken as the demon's dinner. But then there was the nagging question:  
  
Why did it only go after Inuyasha and not the rest of them? 


	2. The answer

Again, thank you Adam for being my editor. And thanks to those who like the story so far.  
  
******  
  
The fish demon swam quickly with its load in its mouth. Normally, it would have eaten the human, but it wasn't suppose to. It couldn't remember precisely why, but it knew that it was suppose to deliver this human to a certain village in the north. All it could remember was that if it did anything to mess it up, something very bad was going to happen to it.  
  
At the edge of its memory, a dim figure emerged. It looked a human woman except that she had wings and bird's feet. An aura of fire surrounded the image. The demon did the equivalent of a shiver in the water. It was never good to mix fire with water. So it would do the task that it was asked, even though it seemed ridiculous.  
  
Inside the mouth, Inuyasha lay asleep. The sides of the mouth emitted a noxious gas that knocked out the unfortunate occupants. If Inuyasha had been in his normal form when he was taken, he could have endured long enough to get out. But as a human, he was out like a light in seconds. Unbeknownst to the fish, Inuyasha had returned to his true form, but was still out. He wouldn't wake up until the demon had reached its destination.  
  
******  
  
It was the last day of the month. And that night held a special significance for Hikaru and Juanyu. That night would be the night that she would lose her demon powers and be reduced to a human. No one else in the village knew this secret and they worked hard to make sure it stayed that way. If Sanusha had ever found out about the night of the last moon, Hikaru's life would be in even greater danger. On days like today, they worked quickly to make sure that everything was taken care of before the sun went down. That way, there wouldn't be any nighttime visitors to the hut.  
  
At the lake, some of the village men were trying their luck with the fish. At this time of year, there were some fish available for them to catch if the fishermen were patient and lucky enough. The late afternoon sun shone brightly and hot down on them but that didn't stop them from their mission.  
  
What did was something else. Two of the village men were heading out to the middle of the lake in a boat with nets. The others were helping them prepare the boat when a boy that had come to watch yelled. The men turned and saw the boy pointing out to the middle of the lake. In the water, a bulge was rising and headed to shore. As it neared them, they could see that it was some kind of fish demon. The men yelped in fright and hurried away from the beach.  
  
The demon stopped in the shallows of the lake and simply stared at them. The men stopped and stared back in curiosity and fright. The cheeks of the demon bulged out and its head tilted back. With a loud croak, the demon spat something out of its mouth. Whatever it was, the object went high in the air fell down in the grass away from the men and rolled several yards further. The task done, it went back into the water and they could see it swimming away.  
  
Now that the demon was gone, the men carefully approached whatever it was that was spat out. Some of them whispered that it might be a wise idea if someone go and fetch either Juanyu or Hikaru. The thing might be dangerous. At least one of them might know what to do.  
  
An old man had gone ahead of the other men. He wasn't as afraid as they were and had decided that he had lived long enough. If this thing could kill him, so be it. What he might of thought the object could be, what he saw wasn't it.  
  
It was a young man. He looked to be Hikaru's age, maybe older. It was hard to tell, the man must be at least half-demon. He had the same claws and ears as Hikaru but his hair was completely silver. The stranger wore a red jacket and pants made out of a material that the old man didn't recognize. A katana hung on the left side and a strange beaded necklace was around the neck. The old man placed a hand where the heart should be and lowered his ear to the mouth. He felt the heart beat under his hand and breath tickling his ear. The man was still alive. His clothes gave off a bad smell that made him feel a bit woozy but he quickly recovered.  
  
By this time, the other men had caught up with him and were staring in wonder at what the fish brought them. In less than a moment, the old man reached a decision. Carefully, lest the stranger be wounded in some way, he had the stranger on his back. He staggered under the weight but found his balance again and was walking away from the group.  
  
"Hey! Where are you going?" one cried out.  
  
"I'm taking this one to Hikaru. She'll know what to do with him," was the reply.  
  
"But you don't know if that thing can be trusted or not!"  
  
"Precisely! If anyone in the village can handle him, it is her!"  
  
None of them argued with that. Instead they followed the old man a few steps behind. He had been soldier many years ago before he had taken an injury that forced him into retirement. If he thought that Hikaru would be able to handle this being if he proved dangerous, they would have to trust him. And it made sense. Hikaru had managed to get rid of the wolf-demon two years ago, how much trouble could this stranger be?  
  
******  
  
Hikaru handed the mother a packet with powder inside, "Now, make sure to mix this in a broth and that your son drinks it all. It should help with his stomach. Be sure to tell him not to eat anymore strange berries without asking me first." The two women shared a gentle laugh then the mother left. Hikaru sighed with relief. That would be her last visitor for today. It was close to sunset and the villagers would be heading home right now. No one else would be by the hut until tomorrow.  
  
She was outside feeding the birds early when she heard voices coming up the trail. Hikaru turned and saw a group of village men hurrying up to her. The leader was carrying something large on his back. Hikaru could sense youki coming from the burden and she was worried. What was going on? She finished feeding the birds then rushed to the old man who was panting by this time.  
  
"What's going on, jii san?" she asked.  
  
The old man waited to catch his breath before he could reply. "I'm not sure. We were at the lake fishing when a fish-demon emerged from the waters. It came close to the shore and spat this young one out of its mouth and onto the shore. Then it left. I thought it would be wise to bring him to you. He's still alive."  
  
He certainly was. She could hear his breathing; the boy was asleep. Hikaru had no choice but to take him. With a sigh, she ordered the body be brought inside. She couldn't tell them that she could not have him without giving some kind of believable explanation.  
  
Juanyu had returned from the woods by now and she quickly filled him in. He swore to himself then stripped the body of the stinking clothes. After wiping the body down with a damp cloth, the stranger was dressed in a spare outfit from Juanyu. Hikaru took the clothes and soaked them in a large tub of water with herbs that should get rid of the smell. Now they had to wait.  
  
Night had fallen and Hikaru was human. She stayed by the stranger, watching over him. Juanyu was by the fire stirring dinner. He had told her that he would stay in the hut tonight. Hikaru had told him that he didn't need to; but he said that he did. If the stranger woke up and proved to be an enemy, Hikaru would need him to protect her. The woman saw that nothing she could say would change his mind and let the argument drop. Hikaru took a brush and painted some wards on the floor. Juanyu and she should be able to walk in and out without trouble. But if the stranger did prove to be an enemy, he shouldn't be able to cross.  
  
******  
  
Inuyasha felt like he was drowning. He was in with something deep down somewhere and it wanted him to stay. And he was fighting for all his worth. He didn't want to die now. There were still too many things he wanted to get done first. But then, the pressure lifted and he could feel himself floating up. He wasn't drowning anymore. He was going to live.  
  
He woke with fog in his mind. He could hear a fire crackling and smelled two people nearby. It took an eternity to open his eyes. He was laying down under a blanket in a hut somewhere. He turned his head and what he saw frightened and shocked him.  
  
A human woman sat close by. She was stunning; long black hair and gentle eyes. Her expression was a mixture of sadness and worry. His mind screamed that it couldn't be but his senses weren't lying to him.  
  
"Mother?" 


	3. Waking up

Hikaru was grinding some herbs for a potion when she heard someone talk.  
  
"Mother?"  
  
She nearly jumped in surprise. The voice was the stranger that one of the villagers had brought earlier. He was awake now, but not coherent, probably delusional. She hurried to his side and looked him over. His eyes were open (golden like her eyes normally were) but they seemed clouded over. It could be the after effects of the sleeping gas he had been in.  
  
"Why didn't you ever tell me?" he went on. She didn't know what he was talking about.  
  
"Huh. What do you mean?" she said.  
  
"Why didn't you ever tell me about my sister?" he explained.  
  
"But I'm not your mother," she said. Hikaru leaned closer to him. His eyes widened and he gasped. The gasp started a coughing fit. Hikaru quickly called Juanyu for water.  
  
******  
  
It wasn't her. This woman only looked like Mother. She was too young. He should have known better. But at least she smelled human. He gasped and started coughing. Inuyasha heard the woman call out to someone and heard footsteps running.  
  
"Help me lift him up," she ordered. A pair of strong hands lifted Inuyasha into a sitting position and another supported his head. He had never known another time when his body felt so heavy.  
  
"Here, drink a little of this. It will help." A ladle was pressed to his lips and he gratefully drank. Whoever was holding the ladle let him have the water in sips. Gradually the coughing stopped and his head cleared.  
  
"Are you feeling better?" a man's voice asked. No, it wasn't a real man, the smell was wrong. The scent wasn't like anything the half-demon had smelled before and it worried him.  
  
"I think so. Thank you," he said grudgingly. He was on guard again. Inuyasha didn't know whether to trust these people or not. Better to be cautious than sorry.  
  
She moved back to let him breath and the man stepped back also. "I'm glad. For a moment I thought there was something really wrong with you," the woman said. "My name is Hikaru. And this is my friend, Juanyu."  
  
He turned his head and saw Juanyu. He was source of the strange scent. But he looked human. Then again, some of the most dangerous demons did.  
  
"My name is Inuyasha. Where am I?"  
  
"You are in my hut. I don't know the name of the village," she replied. He seemed tense. Why?  
  
"Like I said, thanks for your help. I'll be leaving now," Inuyasha said. Tetsusaiga was leaning against the wall near the fire. He stood to get it.  
  
"Wait! Don't move!"  
  
He ignored Hikaru. And was repelled back into the bed he had been in. Inuyasha was shocked. How the hell did that happen? Then he saw the wards painted on the floor. "Bitch! Why did you do that?" he cried, full of rage.  
  
Juanyu lunged in front of Hikaru to protect her. "We didn't know if we could trust you or not! It's a precaution in case you turned out to be an enemy," he shouted.  
  
"Juanyu, that's enough. Inuyasha has a right to be mad. However," she turned to Inuyasha, "I did try to warn you. You didn't listen."  
  
He hated to admit it, but she was right. Instead of admitting it out loud, he thrust his arms into his sleeves and sulked. The tension seemed to ease up then. Juanyu returned to dinner, but kept an eye on their 'guest'. Hikaru went back to the table and continued with her work. The scent of fresh herbs wafted through the air.  
  
Hikaru must be the village's priestess. If she was, she certainly didn't look the part. Everyone ate some dinner, but none of them talked much. Inuyasha wasn't inclined to share anything with these strangers; Hikaru and Juanyu couldn't think of anything to ask. Eventually, they went to sleep. Inuyasha was leaning against the wall and Hikaru was opposite of him. Juanyu was curled up by the fire, much like a dog. The night passed quietly.  
  
******  
  
Inuyasha woke up a little before dawn and found the woman already up. She held the curtain covering the doorway to the side and was watching the sunrise. It was the next day. He yawned and stretched his arms. He actually had a good night's rest.  
  
As he continued to stare at Hikaru, he saw the color of her hair change. At first, Inuyasha thought that it might have been a trick of the light, but it wasn't. Her hair was changing from black to a light brown, her ears were changing and moving up on her head, and claws were growing from her fingers. The girl was a half-demon! He gaped and was suddenly confronted with an outraged Juanyu.  
  
"Bastard!" he screamed and lunged. Inuyasha moved quickly to the side, barely missing the out stretched hands. His movement was still limited by the wards on the floor. The two men wrestled on the floor until pain exploded in their heads.  
  
"That is enough, both of you! Juanyu, get up off of him!" Hikaru cried out. She was standing over them holding a wet rag in her left hand and a staff in her right. Her expression was a mixture of annoyance and anger. "It's not like he wouldn't have found out anyway."  
  
Reluctantly Juanyu got off of Inuyasha and went to the door. At the threshold, he turned to glare at the half-demon and let out a low growl. Then he stalked out. Hikaru shook her head at the departing man and bent to the floor. Inuyasha saw that she was wiping up the wards that had been drawn there.  
  
"I'm sorry about that. For the two years that I have lived in the village, Juanyu has been the only person who knew when I lost my powers. No one else in the village knows. I guess it has become a matter of pride for him," she said.  
  
Inuyasha sat up and watched her work. "No big deal. I can understand that. Why are you taking away the wards? You don't know if I can be trusted or not."  
  
Hikaru finished her chore and stood leaning against the staff. "But I do trust you," she said. Her face softened and again Inuyasha was reminded of his mother. "I don't know why, but that's the way it is." She shrugged. He watched in amazement was the staff shrunk into a branch, which she stuck into her belt. She picked up a large tub from a corner and headed outside. "You're welcome to stay as long as you need to. It isn't often that travelers come here," she said over her shoulder. "And you can get your clothes back."  
  
He then noticed that he wasn't wearing his normal clothes. Something told him that they were in the tub she had outside. With a grunt, he got up and followed her outside. The sun rising help light up the small valley that village lay in. Inuyasha had to admit that it looked peaceful, but something wasn't right. Why would these people have a half-demon acting as their priestess and healer? The question nagged at him.  
  
Inuyasha saw Hikaru washing his clothes and hanging them on a rod to dry. He didn't think that the people in the village would be willing to talk to him, so he might as well ask.  
  
"Hello. You're feeling better, I hope. I'm washing these out to get rid of the last of that smell. How long were you in that mouth?" she asked. Hikaru regretted it the instant that it left her mouth. Inuyasha had no way of knowing how long he had been in there. It was foolish to expect him to know.  
  
He didn't seem to care that she had asked the impossible of him. "I don't know, what day is today?"  
  
"Today is the first of the month," she replied.  
  
Inuyasha choked back an exclamation. The first of the month! That meant that the damn demon had been carrying him at least one month. And who knew in what direction. Inuyasha could be anywhere in Japan right now. Suddenly the enormity of trying to return to the others and Kagome overwhelmed him. The weight was such he fell to his knees in shock.  
  
The girl noticed this and came to his side. "Don't worry. I'm sure that you will be able to find your way back to wherever you came from."  
  
"And the sooner you leave the better!" Juanyu shouted from behind. He was standing there holding the feed basket for the birds. He was also still angry with Inuyasha for learning Hikaru's secret.  
  
Hikaru could sense that this was going to be a long morning. Juanyu wasn't one to forgive easily (at least without a very good reason) and usually held a grudge. With a sigh, she took the basket from her friend and walked over to the tree. It was there that an idea came to her.  
  
"Inuyasha, can you please come here?" she called out. The half-demon looked at her slowly then got up and came over.  
  
Juanyu went on glaring at him as he fetched his bow and arrows. "I'll be hunting in the forest today. I should be back before sunset." Then ran off.  
  
"So what do you want?" Inuyasha said. His voice was in a drawl and the tone told her that he might be interested but he was pretending that he wasn't.  
  
She smiled. "I think that I have an idea how to help you get back." That certainly got his attention. Inuyasha stopped pretending to be disinterested and stood close.  
  
Hikaru gathered some of the bird food in her hand and scattered it onto the ground. From within the branches, several small brown birds flew down, landed, and began to eat. Inuyasha watched for a bit in silence but got impatient. He was about to start yelling when Hikaru spoke up.  
  
"These birds fly all over the country. And they speak to other birds they meet. If I can get them to bring me information on where you live, they might be able to find it and provide directions for you," she said calmly. She scooped and handful of the feed and poured into one of his hands. "Here, you can feed them too. Just throw it on the ground."  
  
Inuyasha stared at it for a moment. Then a bird decided to fly down, perch on his hand, and eat from there. Others soon join the first one and the warrior had no idea what to do. Hikaru giggled at the sight and causally shooed the birds away. Quickly Inuyasha dropped the remainder of the food and moved behind Hikaru.  
  
"Are you sure that they can do it?" he said pointing at the feeding birds.  
  
She nodded. "Of course. Just tell me what your home is like and they will start looking." Reluctantly, he did begin to talk. But it took some prodding from Hikaru to get every thing that her little friends needed. When the flock finished eating, they took off.  
  
"So now what?"  
  
"We wait. Speaking of which, you'll have to wait a bit before your clothes will be dry enough to put on again. But the smell should be gone," she said. Then she turned and went back into the hut.  
  
Inuyasha sighed and followed her without a word. This girl was the closest thing he had to an ally right now. With her weird companion itching to get in a fight with him, Inuyasha didn't want to be too far away from her. Especially not today.  
  
Hikaru can back out of the hut carrying a wide basket filled with bottles and small pots.  
  
"Where are you going now?"  
  
"I'm going to the village. I'm the only one here that has any healing ability. I was about to go on my rounds. Would you like to come with me? Or maybe it might be better if you stayed here," she said. Something in her tone made Inuyasha think that she was torn whether to have him come with her or not.  
  
"Ugh. I might as well go with you. It's not like I have anything else to do," he said. And together they started down the path. Neither of them said anything for a while. Then Hikaru decided to talk.  
  
"There are some things that you need to know before we get to the village. Nine years ago, a wolf-demon named Sanusha came here with a pack of wolves and took over. Some of the men here tried to fight, but they were slaughtered. Sanusha ruled with a dark claw for seven years. Two years ago, I stumbled along this village by accident. After I had learned what was going here, I decided to try my best to end it. I managed to chase her out of the village and set up wards to keep her and other stronger demons out. I have stayed here since, helping when and where I can. But these people have a long memory and it is hard for them to forget what had happened to them. They don't trust easily, especially when the person appears to have demon blood in them. They tolerate me because I rescued them and I act as their priestess. I'm not sure how they will react to you. Just please stay by me and try not to get into any trouble," she said.  
  
Inuyasha was quiet. There was nothing he could think of to say. Hikaru's story helped explain a lot of things, but not all. "But what about Juanyu?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"What about that guy? He smells weird, growls, and hangs with you when you just told me that most of the other humans can barely stand you. So what's the deal here?" he said.  
  
She sighed. "Juanyu's father was one of the villagers that tried to fight back. He managed to kill off one of the wolves. It was after it had died did they learn. The body changed from a wolf to a man."  
  
Inuyasha gasped, "Shadow-half demons. I've only heard about them. They're humans that have somehow become part demon. But they don't have all the same abilities of regular half-demons. They eventually go insane because of the change."  
  
Hikaru nodded. "Sanusha was furious. She killed Juanyu's father. To make an example, she took Juanyu and bond his body with that of a wolf."  
  
Inuyasha was shocked beyond any words that he knew. He would swear if he knew that right words. This went along to explain the boy a lot. Especially the smell. "So how come he didn't leave with Sanusha?"  
  
"I managed to capture him and with a few of his hairs, make a kind of protection for him. It has worked so far. But some times I worry it isn't enough and that there isn't a way to undo what was done to him. Unless you know of something?" she sounded hopeful. Inuyasha saw the look in her eyes and was touched. She cared for Juanyu like a friend and was concerned for him. After all that she was doing for him, he didn't want to lie to her and right now he didn't have the heart to be bitter like usual.  
  
He shook his head. "I haven't heard of anything. What I have heard is that some demons consider it a mercy to kill the shadow-halves before they go insane. I'm sorry."  
  
Her face saddened and she lowered her head. "And there is something else as well. Juanyu's grandfather is the headman for the village. Juanyu would have taken the title after his grandfather's death. But because of what Sanusha did to him, he can never take the position. His cousin, Yawnin, is the heir. There are many grievances between those two. The headman is the only reason why I wasn't thrown out of the village at the same time as Sanusha. And Yawnin has made it clear that after his grandfather leaves, so will I."  
  
The walk continued on in silence. As they approached the village, Inuyasha saw small signs of life. A few women sat in the doorways of their homes and a few children played under their joint supervision. All the animals were carefully penned up and the men were out in the fields. But to him, there was a sense of it all being a bit run down and old.  
  
He could see why the villagers might be wary of him and Hikaru. The expressions of the women were strained and fearful. These were women that had survived Sanusha and her heinous pack, and didn't want to reminded of it. Fortunately, they showed a little warmth at seeing their healer walking by. Hikaru exchanged a few pleasant words with them before stopping at a hut. That was when she went to work.  
  
Inuyasha had to admire how Hikaru handled her patients. She was kind but firm with them all. They listened to her advice and promised to take the potions she provided them earnestly. She only threatened with bodily harm when the patient pigheadedly refused to follow her instructions. But other than that, the people respected her. To him, Hikaru had made herself a real home here in this village.  
  
They were having lunch in the home of the headman and his extended family at the old man's invitation. The children that were there were excited that Hikaru was there to visit them again and their elders showed her respect.  
  
The headman may have been old, but he still had an air of authority and respect. Inuyasha could see why the villagers listened to him. He looked wise and would refuse to abandon his stand unless strongly convinced otherwise. But during the meal, Inuyasha saw that the man wasn't entirely well. His hands shook a little and the skin was tight over the face even though he had a good appetite.  
  
The headman's remaining time was Inuyasha's mind during the walk back to Hikaru's hut. They had visited the rest of the huts after lunch and now they were heading back.  
  
"I know that he isn't well, Inuyasha," Hikaru said. He gaped at her. How did she know what he was thinking?  
  
"How did you know? I mean, what do I care about the ji-jii?" he replied off-handedly.  
  
She smiled. "I don't really believe that, you know. You may seem tough, but you're a good man. I can tell. Besides, you keep looking over your shoulder to his hut. That's how I knew."  
  
Inuyasha feigned indifference and nothing else was said between them for the rest of the trip. When they got back to the hut, Inuyasha found his normal clothes dry by now and quickly changed in the hut. He would have to leave soon, it was evening already. If he lingered for much longer, he'll be stuck here when night fell.  
  
The half-demon finished changing and headed outside again. He could see Juanyu walking up the path with some rabbits slung over his shoulder. The man ignored Inuyasha as he went into the hut to prepare the rabbits for cooking.  
  
Inuyasha walked over to where Hikaru was leaning against the tree. "I thought you should know. I'll be leaving soon. And thanks for all of your help, Hikaru," he said.  
  
She looked shocked. "Are you sure that you won't stay a little longer. None of the birds have returned with information on your village yet. It might be wiser if you stayed until they have something."  
  
He shook his head. "Nah. I've got to be going. I'll find my way."  
  
She lowered her head. "If that is your wish. But I think you should know, your scent is changing even now. Is there something that I should know about you?" she whispered.  
  
Inuyasha was caught off guard and looked surprised. Then he swore under his breath. He forgot that the change would include his scent. Kouga had smelled the difference once before and now Hikaru too. Inuyasha was screwed.  
  
She giggled. "Don't worry. You can stay here until tomorrow. Juanyu has a hut of his own nearby and you can go in there after the sun goes down. I'll bring you dinner and no one else has to know."  
  
He had no choice but to agree. The sun was disappearing behind the mountains and he could feel the change happening inside of him.  
  
******  
  
Hikaru felt sorry for Inuyasha. Tonight must be the night when he would lose his powers and he had hoped to be gone before she and Juanyu found out. But that wasn't an option now. It would be safer for him to stay here with her until morning. She sighed and went into the hut. Inside, Juanyu had rabbit meat roasting over the fire pit and was peeling vegetables to go with them.  
  
"Juanyu, why don't we let Inuyasha have your hut tonight and you can sleep in here?" she asked. She hoped that he would go along with the idea. But the priestess knew her friend. It wasn't likely that he would be nice to someone he disliked.  
  
He grunted. "Why should he? It would be easier to keep an eye on him if we all were in here," he replied. Through the window, Hikaru could see night falling rapidly. Normally, she didn't want to argue with him, but tonight was different.  
  
"Please, Juanyu. I don't think that he will do any harm to the village or us. Have some faith in him, or at the least in me. My instincts say to trust him."  
  
"With all do respect, my lady, my instincts say to trust him as far as I can throw the moon."  
  
"But Juanyu."  
  
"Oh, stop arguing. He won't change his mind. I'll probably be safer if I was in here with both of you anyway. Then I can protect myself better in case he decides to do away with me in my sleep," Inuyasha said as he came in. They both looked at him as he came in and stared.  
  
"Inuyasha, you're human!" Juanyu yelped. 


	4. Passing the night

The fire crackled loudly as rabbit grease dropped off of the cooking meat. Juanyu poked at dinner and sniffed. They were almost done; there were faint traces of blood left. He had some of a wolf's enhanced senses, but not as fine as Lady Hikaru.  
  
Inuyasha, in human form, was leaning against the wall looking annoyed. Juanyu fought down a flow of anger. Hikaru would tell him that it wasn't right to mad at the visitor. It wasn't Inuyasha's choice to be here, to see Hikaru's secret, or reveal to them his. But he couldn't help it. He only hoped that Inuyasha would leave soon and things could return to normal around here.  
  
******  
  
Hikaru sighed and finished the potion she was working on. Juanyu was still angry at Inuyasha and the now human was avoiding looking at either of them. She didn't think that things could get any worse, for as one of her teachers pointed out, whenever someone thought that something would come along and make it worse than before.  
  
"So, what's wrong with the headman?" Inuyasha asked. He was tired of the silence and didn't know what else to talk about.  
  
Hikaru was glad to talk and was tired of the silence as well. "I'm not sure and that worries me. He was fine a few months ago, but now, his strength weakens. Nothing that I give him seems to be working at all."  
  
Juanyu interrupted the conversation with "Dinner's ready." He served Hikaru first then Inuyasha reluctantly before getting his own food.  
  
"Have you tried everything?" Inuyasha asked. He had to admit that he was a bit curious. Then he remembered that the headman was the only reason why Hikaru was allowed to remain here. She would have to leave when he died. The healer had a great reason to worry.  
  
The priestess nodded. "I don't have any idea what I'm doing wrong. His symptoms don't match anything that I know.  
  
"Maybe he's possessed by a demon," he suggested.  
  
She shook her head. "No, I would have sensed its presence."  
  
"Poison?"  
  
"Who would want to do that?" she responded. No one voiced an answer to that. But Juanyu had a thought for who the culprit might be.  
  
"Besides," Hikaru continued, "even if it is poison, without knowing which one it is, I can't create the antidote."  
  
They finished dinner and got comfortable for the night. Juanyu curled up by the fire again, Hikaru settled herself by the door and Inuyasha laid down on the bed provided for him. Inuyasha was almost asleep when he thought he heard someone humming. The man turned and saw Hikaru looking out the door. She was the one humming.  
  
"What's that?" he asked.  
  
She turned to him. "What's what?"  
  
"What you're humming just now?" he said, propping himself on an elbow.  
  
She smiled. "It's just a little song I was taught when I was a girl. I sing it when I'm feeling depressed or panicked. It helps to calm me down. Would you like to hear it?"  
  
He had no idea why he nodded but he did. Hikaru faced him then composed herself. Then she began to sing.  
  
"Kor re nu to ra se le no."  
  
++I'm just making up the words here, Inuyasha isn't supposed to know what the words mean.  
  
Whatever the strange words meant, they sounded beautiful. Inuyasha could understand what Hikaru meant when she said it had a calming effect. He could feel the frustration that had been with him ever since he woke here fading. It puzzled him briefly that he couldn't understand the words, but maybe if he did, the song wouldn't sound so lovely. Hikaru had a lovely singing voice as well.  
  
By the fire, Juanyu also listened. He had heard Hikaru sing only once before, and her voice was just as beautiful now as then. She had been singing to herself when they had first run into each other. He was under Sanusha's control then and had standing orders to attack any intruders in the forest. His wolf body had tried to attack the passing half-demon girl but was surprised at how well she could defend herself against him. He smiled. What had happened as consequence of that encounter had rescued his village and himself. It was good that she was here.  
  
"Por re te no-o-o ko."  
  
She lowered her head when she was done, savoring the calm that welled up inside of her. When Hikaru raised her head, she saw that her two companions were already asleep. Inuyasha had pillowed his head on the arm that had supported his head earlier. Juanyu was stretched out instead of curled up like he had been doing lately. She took that as a good sign as she spread blankets over their sleeping forms. Maybe they would get along better when they wake up tomorrow. One could only hope.  
  
She found a third blanket and wrapped herself in it before settling down to sleep. Hikaru had done the right thing to sing. With all of the stress and hopelessness gone for now, she might be able to figure out what was wrong with Juanyu's grandfather in the morning. The happy thought lulled her successfully to sleep.  
  
******  
  
"Yugi?" the priest called out.  
  
The young man turned from the fire to face his mentor and guide. Yugi was only twenty and almost finished with his training in being a Buddhist priest. They, along with the other two apprentices, were traveling to the village that Yugi was to care for.  
  
Yugi's mentor was an older man nearing his forties and his head was a shining bald. His robes were modestly, if richly, made and dressed. Santo came highly recommend in training new priests in their beliefs and Yugi was sent to him within days of learning he had the power and potential to be a powerful priest.  
  
"Yes, Houshi-san?" he said.  
  
"When should we reach your post? Do you remember what the message said?"  
  
Yugi nodded and withdrew a folded piece of paper from within his robes. It had come weeks ago. The writer explained that his village had no priest or priestess to tend to their ills, no one except some half-demon with (the writer was certain) minor healing abilities. If someone would be kind enough to come and relieve her, it would be a great relief to the headman and his family, who were responsible for her stay. Included were directions to the village and a request that a reply be sent.  
  
A reply had been sent immediately. Santo had then told Yugi that since his training was nearly over, he would have to find something to do and somewhere to go. And good luck had provided him with a village in need of protection and guidance. So the entire entourage had packed were on the journey. Santo was coming along to help Yugi settle in when they got there and the apprentices were along to learn.  
  
"I have them here, sir. According to the map, we should reach it within the next two days. But I don't understand. If this half-demon is doing such a good job caring for the village, why are we interfering?" Yugi said. He had this question turning in his mind ever since he had been told of his assignment and it bothered him.  
  
Santo shook his head slowly and his face took the expression he used when explaining something to a new student. "Because, Yugi, she is a half- demon. No one with demon blood should be trusted with such an important task. In my opinion, they shouldn't be trusted at all! They are no better than their demon relatives. It will be better for everyone concerned if the half-demon left. If she will not go willingly, then we will simply have to make her leave."  
  
Santo yawned and settled back, ending the discussion. But Yugi was still uneasy. He had never met a demon before, let alone a half-demon. As a child, he had heard mixed stories about demon attitudes toward humans. Most of them were bad stories, but there a few that cast the demon in a better light. As for half-demons, well, they were half human weren't they? So they couldn't be all bad. He decided to reserve judgment about the half-demon healer until they got there. Then he would make a decision.  
  
This left feeling marginally better and after he made sure that there was enough fire to last the night, he settled down to sleep. 


	5. The Next Morning

Hikaru left the hut the next morning feeling refreshed and more confident than she had in days. She hoped that the feeling would last. Outside, she could see Inuyasha and Juanyu standing by the tree with her birds. Juanyu was feeding their breakfast and Inuyasha watched. She prayed that they weren't arguing. That was the last thing she needed this morning.  
  
******  
  
Inuyasha had gotten up this morning feeling much better than usual. It might have been the song that Hikaru had sung last night. In any case, he didn't feel like giving either of them a hard time. He had to admit that they had been doing a lot for him. Especially Hikaru. When he got outside, he saw Juanyu feeding those birds at the tree. He was still wary of his experience yesterday so he stayed behind Juanyu as the birds ate.  
  
Neither of them spoke. They still didn't like each other, but the outward hostility between had seemed childish and useless in the morning light. Silently the two men agreed to stop giving such a hard time. Neither spoke a word, but they did shake hands to seal the bargain.  
  
******  
  
Hikaru walked up to them and sensed that at least the open hostility towards each other was gone. She sighed with relief. The priestess feared that she would have to do something drastic to keep them from each other's throats.  
  
"Come in, both of you. I've got some breakfast ready," she said.  
  
Juanyu finished with the birds and went in with Inuyasha. She stayed behind for a moment, letting the chatter of the birds fill her ears and let the rising sun warm her. Then  
  
******  
  
The mother bird hurried as fast as her tired wings could carry her. She needed to reach the half-demon quickly. The young girl depended on the mother bird and the others that lived in the forest to warn her of any dangers that might threaten the village. In exchange, she guaranteed the evening and morning meals for many of the birds that dwelled here.  
  
And there was a threat to the village coming all right! The mother bird had seen and smelled a large, noxious, poisonous beast below her nest earlier this morning. Its path was directly to the village. She didn't know if the wards would be able to keep it back, the bird didn't know how strong it was. What she did know was that Hikaru needed to be told immediately!  
  
******  
  
"Grandpa? Grandpa? Please wake up. Grandma says that it is time for breakfast," Sora pleaded. Grandma had sent her in here to make sure that Grandpa was awake and ready for the day. He had been having trouble getting up in the mornings lately, although the other adults in the house said not to worry, Sora was worried and afraid for her grandfather.  
  
But Grandpa wouldn't wake up. He just laid there with his mouth slightly open, drooling. His skin was damp and hot when she touched it. And his breathing was noisy, like he had been running for a long time without stopping instead of sleeping in his bed all night long.  
  
Sora rushed out of the room, calling for Grandma. This was really serious.  
  
"Grandma! Grandma! Come quick! Something is really wrong with Grandpa!" she shouted.  
  
******  
  
Hikaru was definitely feeling better. Juanyu and Inuyasha were actually civil to each other at breakfast this morning. It looked like they might actually become friends if given enough time. She sighed; time wasn't something Inuyasha could afford. He needed to get back to his village soon.  
  
Outside, Juanyu was checking how many arrows were in the quivers and Inuyasha was just standing around. There was nothing for the half-demon to do today. Hopefully, Hikaru had heard something from her birds about how he can get home again. He wouldn't admit out loud, but Inuyasha was missing the others, especially Kagome.  
  
"Lady Hikaru! Lady Hikaru!" a voice called out form the trail. Inuyasha could hear someone, very young, running up the trail to the hut. He also noticed that Juanyu sat up with alarm at the sound. Than whoever was coming was known to him.  
  
Hikaru came outside, worry etched in her face. Something was definitely wrong here. She recognized the voice as Sora's. What was that child doing here?  
  
Sora came running up the trail as if there were girl-eating demons behind her. Tears were running down her cheeks in streams, her hair hadn't been put up yet, and there was a panicked look in her eyes. She ran into her ani's arms and sobbed uncontrollably.  
  
++ 'Ani' means older brother.  
  
"It's all right now, Sora. It's all right. Just tell me what happened that frightened you so," Juanyu asked. His voice was gentle and kind. Inuyasha felt a pain of envy that his ani never spoke to him like that.  
  
Sora lifted her head and gave a pleading look to Hikaru. "Oh, Lady Hikaru, you have to come. Grandpa is worse this morning than ever before. Sora couldn't get him to wake up and Grandma said that Sora should go and get Lady Hikaru to help. And so Sora ran as fast as she could to get here," she explained.  
  
Hikaru's brows met in frustration, worry, and surprise. What was going on here? The headman didn't seem that worse than he had been getting yesterday. Maybe it was poison. She wouldn't know for sure until she got there.  
  
"Juanyu, come with me and bring my supplies. Inuyasha, it will be best if you stay here today. Sora, it will also probably be best if you stayed here. You'll be safe," she said.  
  
Juanyu ran into the hut, grabbed a wide basket, and began to fill it with various medicines that Hikaru had prepared. Please let Grandfather live, he thought. The headman was the only reason that Hikaru was allowed to stay in the village. And he was the closest Juanyu had to a father since the death of the real one.. After the basket was filled with as much as he could grab, he ran outside. Together, he and Hikaru raced down the path to the village. It was lucky that Juanyu could move as fast as she in a run.  
  
******  
  
Inuyasha watched silently as the pair raced off. He had no idea that Juanyu could move that fast. It was probably from being a shadow-half. On the ground next to him, Sora was still crying. Oh damn, Inuyasha hated seeing a woman cry, even a little girl. He turned to her and saw her hung head and tears falling to the ground. It was so pathetic that he felt some pity for her. But it was starting to get on his nerves.  
  
"Oh please. Will you stop that? It's getting on my nerves," he said.  
  
Sora looked up at him and stared for a minute. Then she started bawling and tears flowed anew. He stepped back in shock. Dammit, it was getting worse. If he didn't do or say something soon, Inuyasha might not make it through the day.  
  
He knelt in front of the girl and grabbed her shoulders. "Hey, come on. Stop it. Don't you have any faith in Hikaru at all? Don't you think that she would do anything to help your grandfather?" he said. His tone had changed to a more gentle, kinder one.  
  
It had an immediate effect on Sora. She stopped sobbing and regained control over herself. She looked up into Inuyasha's eyes and was surprised to see the same kindness in there as in Lady Hikaru's. Her breathing returned to normal and her nose stopped running with much sniffling.  
  
"That's much better. Now, let's see if there is still something inside for you to eat." Inuyasha knew that he wasn't acting like he normally would, but for the sake of his sanity, he was willing to act the good guy for once. He was just glad that none of the others were here to see it.  
  
******  
  
Sora ate everything that remained of breakfast. She had run out of the house this morning without having eaten anything. So she was glad that the stranger, Inuyasha, offered to give her some food. Maybe he wasn't as a bad guy as he liked to pretend to be. Sora thought that he was sort of cute, especially those ears. As she finished her bowl, an idea popped into her head.  
  
"Inuyasha-san?"  
  
"Hmm?" He had been enjoying the relative peace and quiet while she ate. He only hoped that she wouldn't start crying again after being fed.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I was thinking. If.I mean, when Lady Hikaru heals Grandpa, I want something nice to give him. I know that he loves fresh picked nuts and berries. I know where the best are. But they are beyond the borders," she said.  
  
"Borders?"  
  
"Yes, the borders that Lady Hikaru put up after she got rid of Sanusha. They keep a lot of demons away from the village. Will you please come with me and go berry picking?" she begged. Her eyes went wide and her voice took a pleading note.  
  
Inuyasha's eyes went large and he leaned back from the table. "Oh no. I'm not going any where."  
  
Sora's lips trembled and she looked like she might cry again. Inuyasha wanted to stop her before she started.  
  
"Why don't you go by yourself?"  
  
Sora hung her head. "But Sora can't. Sora isn't allowed in the forest without Juanyu or Lady Hikaru. None of the children are. And the grown- ups are too scared to go."  
  
Inuyasha saw that there was no choice. If he wanted any kind of peace today, he would have to take Sora berry picking. He sighed.  
  
"All right, all right. I'll take you. But only until mid afternoon. After that, we head back, no matter what. I don't want to be away when Juanyu or Hikaru get back," he said.  
  
Sora yelped with glee and threw her arms around his neck to hug him. Then she looked around the hut and found a large enough basket for her purpose. While she looked, Inuyasha resigned himself to the day's adventure. He wished that it would be over quickly. He wasn't in the mood to mess with anything at the moment; and he wasn't kidding about Juanyu and Hikaru. Judging by the way that Juanyu had acted briefly with Sora, he seemed the more dangerous one to cross.  
  
Inuyasha ran off into the forest with Sora clinging to his back. They would move faster this way and make good time. Sora leaned close to his ear to give him directions.when she wasn't laughing from excitement.  
  
******  
  
Mother bird finally reached the tree where Hikaru fed them. She sang a brief song of greeting to the others and asked where the half-demon could be found. To her dismay, she learned that she was too late. Hikaru had been called to the village moments ago and no one knew when she would return.  
  
Mother bird wanted to fly off to find her but her wings were tired to make another journey. Quickly she told the other birds what news she had. They were terrified and shocked into silence. One brave bird volunteered to go find the healer while the rest of the flock went out in search of food for the mother bird. But she held out little hope that Hikaru would be reached before the demon got close to the village. Time was against them.  
  
******  
  
The sun was shining brightly as Inuyasha and Sora finally reached the spot where she wanted to pick berries and find some nuts. The trees weren't so densely packed the wind blew fairly strong. Inuyasha was glad for it. It would make any fighting he had to do easier, if trouble should show up.  
  
Sora didn't seem to care that they might be attacked. Once they had gotten here, she jumped off Inuyasha's back and started picking. The berries were ripe and looked very juicy. She couldn't help trying a few for taste. The berries' juices exploded in her mouth and the taste was delicious. They were perfect for Grandpa.  
  
On impulse, she took a few in her hand and gave them to Inuyasha. He took the berries and ate them slowly. The half-demon had been surprised when she had offered them to him. But she was just a brat. Sora didn't know that anyone with demon blood was generally not trusted. Then again, maybe she was comparing him against Hikaru and didn't find him lacking.  
  
He shrugged and let the debate fade from his mind. He had experienced a tingling sensation as he and Sora went through the border. It must have meant that they were outside of it. The warrior wanted to stay on the alert for anything that might be out here.  
  
******  
  
Juanyu was worried. He and Hikaru had been here all morning, and Grandpa's condition hadn't improved. But at least it hadn't gotten worse. He turned away from the thought and shivered. There had to be something that could be done. Juanyu saw that one of the jars was empty and took it away into the basket. It was replaced with another at Hikaru's side.  
  
He could see that she was struggling to keep from breaking down in fear, sadness and frustration. None of her patients had died on her before except a woman who died from old age. The pressure was truly on her to help the headman, for many reasons.  
  
The hairs on the back of Juanyu's neck rose. Yawnin was standing outside the room with the rest of the family. He had been here when the duo arrived with a strange expression on his face. Juanyu didn't know what to describe it as. The young man knew that Hikaru's days in the village were over if Grandpa died. And the village needed her here; there wasn't anyone else here with her healing abilities.  
  
He just had to keep hoping that Grandpa would pull through.  
  
******  
  
It went through the stinking, dark woods with disdain. It needed to find some place with plenty of sun so it could stretch out and warm its cooling body. And find some food, it hadn't eaten in days and the prey in the forest had fled before it. That was proper, but it wished that some had been foolish enough to stay for it to snack on. The wind shifted and it raised its head. The wind had brought the smell of fresh, live meat to the nose. With great care, it changed direction towards the smell. It hadn't dined on human flesh in years; hopefully, it hadn't forgotten the sweet taste. The other smell was a half-demon. That one's flesh should prove to have an interesting flavor.  
  
The grass underneath its clawed feet and the plants in the immediate area withered and in cases, browned from the poison coming from its pores. Normally, sunlight would have dried the poison into a hard, protective armor that was difficult to penetrate. But being in the dark thawed the venom and let the vapors into the air. A trail of death marked the path the demon took to its prey: little Sora and Inuyasha. 


	6. That afternoon

I warn you, the reader, in advance. There is some violence in here along with Inuyasha's usual potty mouth. There is also some death. You have been forewarned.  
  
******  
  
Yugi motioned for the group to take a rest then sat down on a handy rock by the road. They had made good time, considering their size. If they kept up with the pace, the village would be reached by tomorrow morning.  
  
The young priest was glad of it. Despite his misgivings of replacing the half-demon, he was eager to prove himself competent. And it would definitely be good to be out of the watchful eye of houshi-san.  
  
Yugi laid down his staff and removed a sandal to massage an aching foot. It would be nice when they reached there and they could stop walking for a while. At least Yugi was settled into his new post. Then his old mentor would leave with the apprentices. After that, Yugi would be on his own. He was looking forward to that.  
  
Above him, the sun's path dragged the afternoon along with it towards evening.  
  
******  
  
He was dying, and there was nothing Hikaru could do about it. Tears were forming in her eyes, which she hurriedly blinked away. The healer couldn't let herself go now, not when there was a slim chance of making him better. Juanyu might not have been able to tell, but his grandfather's breathing was getting shallower and it was getting harder for the old man to draw in the air.  
  
If she didn't figure out what was wrong with him, the headman would die.  
  
******  
  
Inuyasha grimaced and shifted position. The wind was changing, making him and Sora downwind instead of upwind. That spelled danger for him and the kid if anything decided to attack. Behind him, Sora's basket was almost filled. It would be time to leave soon.  
  
Then he heard it, or rather, didn't hear it. Birds had been singing earlier, but they went silent just now. Something definitely spooked them. And anything that could spook them like that was something that Inuyasha should worry about. He looked around for Sora and cursed. At some point, she had decided to abandon the basket and wander on her own.  
  
He bent down to the basket and sniffed for her scent. How stupid could that kid be!! She knew that they were outside of Hikaru's wards. One would think that the kid would have enough sense to stay close by in case of trouble. Inuyasha found the scent and began tracking.  
  
Inuyasha swore that when he found the brat, they were heading back to the village, berries or no. It was getting late and he had said that they would head back about this time. Her wandering was going to make them late. He just had to hope that no one had gone by the hut yet.  
  
He was following her trail when his nose picked something up. It was a new scent, one that made him reel back and fight down nausea.  
  
Ugh, the stench was awful and it reeked of poison and demon. He could see out of the corner of his eye and blackened path of dead grass. It ran parallel to Sora's scent. Dammit, it must have picked up their scents when the wind changed. And when the girl had gone off on her own, it decided to go for her first. The warrior would have to hurry to find Sora first before the demon did.  
  
He began to swear up a storm when he heard the screaming.  
  
******  
  
Sora hummed to herself as she went along. She thought that some pretty flowers would cheer up Grandpa along with the berries. She hadn't thought of telling Inuyasha about this, he had been busy looking around for something. The girl had shrugged it off. It was probably a grown-up thing. And Sora wasn't worried about getting lost, she was confident that she could make her way back to Inuyasha and the berry bushes. She thought that she hadn't wondered off too far.  
  
So imagine her surprise when after she thought that she had a big enough bouquet, that she didn't recognize any of her surroundings. Fear threatened to take over her, but she thought that she could easily make her way back. With that thought firmly planted in her mind to fend off being afraid, Sora began to walk in the direction that she thought she had come from.  
  
Unfortunately she had wondered off further than she thought, and like most children her age didn't pay attention to what was around her. The result was that she was getting very lost in a short space of time. But she did notice how late in the day it was getting. Inuyasha had wanted to head back now, but that would have to wait until she could find him again.  
  
She refused to think that he might leave without her. He was nice, like Lady Hikaru. The half-demon wouldn't leave her here all alone. He might even come looking for her. When that formed in her mind, she remembered something that her mother and grandmother would say to her. If you ever get lost, just sit down where you are and let someone find you. So that was what she did. To help pass the time, she began to weave the flowers she had picked into a floral crown and necklace.  
  
She didn't have the knowledge to be afraid when the birds stopped singing a few minutes later. But what did bother was the faint stink coming form behind. The primal fear that lies within all humans made her move from where she was; and it was that which saved her life in that instant. A long pink tongue shot out from the bushes and failing to get her around the waist wrapped itself to the calf of her right leg.  
  
The pain was incredibly intense and it burned her skin. Sora yelled with all her might. She hoped that someone would hear it and come to her rescue (it occurred for an instant in her scattered brain that she was doing a lot of hoping). Tears ran down her cheeks and for a moment, she thought that she would actually die.  
  
Inuyasha came rushing in, Tetsusaiga transformed and swinging. He leapt over Sora's head towards the lizard demon.  
  
It saw the danger the hanyou presented and braced itself for an attack. The demon didn't think that the hanyou could do much damage against it. The pup wasn't that strong.  
  
++ 'hanyou' is the word for half-demon. I'm thinking of using the Japanese terms more often.  
  
But it didn't pay any attention to the sword that Inuyasha was carrying. With one pass, he was able to sever the tongue there by freeing Sora. The girl found enough strength to crawl some distance away from the fight.  
  
The demon lunged back from the released tension and pain. Dammit, the sword had its own power, which was increasing its opponent's. The demon realized that it would have to finish this quickly before it suffered any more injuries or its food got too far away. The acid in the leg would eventually bring the human down, but it didn't want to have to go out and find again.  
  
It swung its tail, catching Inuyasha across the chest. His jacket saved him from any damage, but it still knocked the wind out of him and probably bruised his ribs. He ducked the next attack and rolled out of range. Inuyasha wanted to be able to finish this without getting close, but he couldn't see how that would be possible. The demon was moving too fast for him to use the Cutting Wind, and he could smell the poison.  
  
++ The Cutting Wind is what he means when he yells 'Kaze no Kizu.'  
  
The tail swung towards him again, catching Inuyasha off guard. Quickly he raised his sword, hoping that it would block the tail. Instead Tetsusaiga cut off part of the tail making the demon cry out in anguish. Inuyasha cursed his own stupidity. He had forgotten that he had treated the sword to cut through most any barrier. With that in mind, Inuyasha sneered at his opponent and went in swinging.  
  
None of the poison was able to penetrate the fire-mice clothing he wore, although there were a few close calls. But he couldn't get in a killing blow. The damn bastard moved to fast. The pain in its tail was immense and the demon couldn't think too clearly through the glaze. Which meant that it left a clear opening for the chest for Inuyasha.  
  
Inuyasha saw it and used it.  
  
"Kaze no Kizu!" The power of the attack tore the flesh from the ribcage and separated the head from the body. The corpse fell backwards with a thud and bounced a little. But it was definitely dead. Smoke rose from the body as the flesh vanished leaving the bones behind.  
  
Inuyasha paused for a moment to catch his breath. When this was done, he sheathed his katana. If that damn brat had stayed within the boundaries of Hikaru's wards, the demon might not have gotten through. She just had to wander off like that. While he was thinking about her, he decided to find her and take her back to the village. He thought that she had been injured by the demon when he came, but he wasn't sure how bad the damage was.  
  
The hanyou found her not too far off. She had tried to crawl away from the fight, but it looked like she hadn't much strength to do so. He could see that the calf of her right leg had been hit. The skin was badly burned, no doubt from the acid. Pus was forming on the edges and Inuyasha could smell the dead meat on her. He had to take her to Hikaru quick. The acid was still in her and would eventually kill her. He sighed. Where was Myouga when Inuyasha needed him?  
  
Sora was also crying. When she saw Inuyasha, she began babbling about how sorry she was for wondering off and promising not to do it again. He waved it off in his usual manner. There wasn't time for this kind of nonsense. He rubbed dirt over the wound, which was more extensive than he had thought, to try to get some of the poison off. In the end he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her leg. Gently he picked her up and began to run.  
  
******  
  
He was dying. His breath had become more ragged and it was slowly stopping. Hikaru was at her wits end. She had no idea what to do.  
  
"Lady Hikaru? He's getting worse. Is there anything you can do?" Juanyu asked from behind. His eyes were filled with a dying hope. She wanted so much to tell him that things would get better, but that wasn't the truth, which was what he deserved. Tears welled up in her eyes and she couldn't hold them back anymore.  
  
Thankfully there wasn't anyone else in the room. Juanyu held her gently as the tears flowed down. Minutes later, his grandfather stopped breathing. The duo looked at him in shock before Hikaru growled and moved closer to his head.  
  
She breathed into his mouth than began to pound on his chest. Juanyu took over the breathing part for her. The healer wasn't anything if not stubborn. She wasn't going to let him go without a fight.  
  
Outside, Juanyu could hear some kind of commotion. There were raised voices and some yelling. To his surprise, he recognized Inuyasha's voice among them. He rose from the floor and raced to the door.  
  
Flinging it open the smell of burning flesh and acid came to his nostrils. He could see his imooto laying in the hanyou's arms, her skin very pale.  
  
++ 'Imooto' means younger sister.  
  
"Lady Hikaru! Come quickly," he called out.  
  
The healer gave up on the headman with great reluctance but hurried with her herbs basket when she saw Sora. She had Inuyasha lay the girl down on a pallet and unwrap her leg. As the jacket came off, she could smell the acid and burning skin. Fortunately, the child hadn't developed a fever yet.  
  
"Quickly! Someone fetch me cold water, clean rags, and some milk from the cows."  
  
"Milk? Why would you need that?" a woman asked.  
  
Hikaru was about to respond when Inuyasha stood up angry and glaring at the woman. He looked like he was on the verge of killing someone.  
  
"Don't bother her with stupid questions like that, wench! Just do what she says!" he said through clenched teeth.  
  
At the look of his face, several of the family gathered there left to get what she requested. But Yawnin stayed, leaning against the doorway.  
  
"What about my grandfather, hanyou? How is his condition?" he asked. His tone was lazy, almost like he didn't care. This man had no respect for Hikaru or her skills.  
  
It burned Inuyasha to see Hikaru get treated this way, but he had to remind himself that this wasn't his home. He had no right to interfere in this. Besides, judging by Juanyu's expression, he was in enough trouble already. He kept his attention focused on the healer and Sora.  
  
Hikaru ignored Yawnin and studied the burn marks. The spiral shape that they made around her leg was interesting. Acid burns normally didn't come like this. Which meant that there was something more to this.  
  
"Inuyasha, what happened since I saw you last?" she asked.  
  
With obvious reluctance, the hanyou told her about the berry picking, fighting the demon, and the run back to the village. Juanyu's expression wasn't as dark as it was; but he was still visibly angry. Soon women from the village returned with what Hikaru needed.  
  
She poured the milk all over the burns. It helped to rinse the acid out; it caused enough pain to make Sora cry out a little. There was no helping it, but at least she knew that the girl was still alive. Water and some of her herbs finished the cleaning. Then she wrapped the burns with clean bandages. Hikaru was able to pour some herbal broth down Sora's throat. The girl was then wrapped carefully in a blanket and put into bed. Her family would watch her for now until she was past the point of danger.  
  
It was then that she decided to face Yawnin. He was still standing there at the door, glaring at her and showing no interest at all in his cousin's condition. It angered her that he made himself so distant from everyone else in the village. He had shown no real interest in anything that went on here. It was sad that he would be the new headman here now.  
  
"You wished to speak with me, Yawnin?" she said. Her voice was level and calm. He sneered at her and repeated his question about his grandfather. He wanted to know what was going on with him.  
  
"I'll be honest with you. There was nothing I could do for him. I don't know what was wrong with him; I hadn't ever seen it before. I'm sorry, but he's dead."  
  
There were gasps from behind her. The rest of the family were still in the room and were surprised at her announcement. Yawnin didn't look surprised at what she said. Instead he smiled a little and folded his arms across his chest. He knew that he was in power now; as did Hikaru.  
  
"In that case, I want you gone by morning! You have no use here; I doubt you ever did. If you don't leave willingly tomorrow, I'll have you forced out!" he said. It was loud enough for everyone else in the room to hear. The news of the headman's death and Hikaru's leaving would be over the village by the evening.  
  
******  
  
Yawnin watched his cousin and the hanyous walk away. Finally, the bitch would be gone! Things would be set right again. His smile grew bigger.  
  
"Yawnin?" a voice said. He turned and saw that he was being addressed by one of his cousins.  
  
He tried not to sound annoyed as he acknowledged the relative. "What is it?"  
  
The boy gulped. "If Hikaru leaves the village, who will care for the wounded and the sick in the village?"  
  
Yawnin's smile never wavered. "Everything will be all right. When I saw how ill Grandfather was getting, I had a message sent asking for a priest to come and live here in the village. The response I got was that was coming here. By my calculations, the priest should be here in the morning," he said.  
  
That seemed to relieve his cousin, although thankfully the idiot didn't ask any more questions. The rest of the day he spent consoling his family and preparing for Grandfather's funeral. He insisted that everyone eat an early dinner and go to bed early as well. He didn't want anyone else up when he went out later. There was some unfinished business to attend to. 


	7. Leaving

Hikaru hung her head in submission, gathered her equipment, and walked out. Juanyu and Inuyasha followed her out of the village and back to the hut. Once she was inside, the hanyou girl started gathering her possessions together. The men stayed out of her way and sat in the back.  
  
"You're not too mad at me, are you?" Inuyasha asked.  
  
"No, not too much. Should have known that Sora would do something like that. She's just a child. But I'm glad that you brought her back so quickly," Juanyu replied. "Why didn't you just refuse to get berry picking? Sora isn't that pushy."  
  
The hanyou boy groaned and grimaced. "I didn't know that. I just thought that she would cry her eyes out and drown the place. Berry picking seemed like a good idea compared to that," Inuyasha said.  
  
Hikaru finished packing and simply knelt on the floor in silence. The men said nothing to her; they had no idea what to say. She had lost almost everything.  
  
Finally, Inuyasha got up and went to her. It really wasn't his style to give comfort to people. But Hikaru was a good girl. She had spirit, power, and talent. The hanyou girl would be able to find a new place to live.  
  
"Hey, don't worry. You'll find a new home. No problem, villages are always on the lookout for new healers," he said.  
  
Hikaru started crying. "That's not why I'm so sad. I could care less where I go now."  
  
"Then why?"  
  
"Because the headman died and I was helpless to prevent it. I have always been able to help my patients before, but none of my knowledge or skill helped today. He still died!" she wailed and sobbed.  
  
Inuyasha felt like hitting her over the head. Which he did. Hikaru gasped and looked up at him in surprise. His expression was angry and fierce.  
  
"So what! You have helped other people and saved their lives. Look at Sora! Is there anyone else in the village that could have helped her the way that you did? The point is that you can't help everyone all the time! Sometimes you win and others you lose. You have to deal with it. Just because that oyaji died on you doesn't mean that you're a bad healer. It just means that whatever was wrong with him; it was too advanced for you to do anything! So quit thinking that it's your fault!" he shouted and stomped out of the hut.  
  
Juanyu moved to follow, but the healer stayed his hand. She sensed that something was bothering Inuyasha. It would be better for him to figure it out for himself. Instead, she started to make dinner for the three of them and something that could be quickly heated in the morning. All of them would have to leave then.  
  
******  
  
Inuyasha walked up to the tree and sat at its roots. Dammit, Hikaru shouldn't get hung up on the headman's death. So he died, big deal. Everyone dies at some point, right?  
  
But he knew that wasn't what made him storm out of the hut. What Hikaru was going through was reminding him of his feelings towards Kikyou. He didn't really love her anymore; but he still felt some responsibility towards her. And he still felt guilty about thinking that she had betrayed him and her death.  
  
And he knew that the headman's death meant a lot more to Hikaru than simply a lost patient. The oyaji was the only reason that she had been able to stay in the village after she had gotten rid of Sanusha. Now though, she would have to leave and find somewhere else to live.  
  
After a few minutes, Juanyu came out to let Inuyasha know that dinner was ready for all of them. He came back in and saw that Hikaru had stopped crying but she was still sad. Juanyu was also sad, but it was a deeper and more personal grief.  
  
None of them said anything during dinner and it turned out to be an early night for them. They would have to leave early the next morning. Hikaru lay awake for almost an hour that night, going over the day's events in her mind's eye. She was trying to figure out what did happen to the headman. But no matter how hard she tried, nothing came up. Finally she sighed and gave up. It didn't matter now, in the morning she would leave.  
  
******  
  
Yawnin walked carefully and as quietly as he could through the darkened forest. All that he carried with him was a lantern and an axe. He knew what he was looking for, but he wasn't sure where they all were.  
  
He knew that there wouldn't be any trouble getting rid of Hikaru tomorrow. She wouldn't want any fuss made over her, so she would leave quietly. The other two might cause some trouble, but Yawnin thought that they would follow her lead.  
  
After a few more minutes of searching, he found one of them. It was a three-foot wooden pole with carved runes going all around it. At the top was a ring that had a foot across. On the ring were ribbons with charms and small metal balls that made noise when they moved dangled at the ends.  
  
Yawnin snorted in disgust. He found it hard to believe that something so plain and stupid was one of the border markers Hikaru had made after she had driven out Sanusha. He estimated that there were about ten to twenty of them staked out around the village. But there was a way to find them.  
  
He smiled, put down the axe and removed from within his shirt a small disk with more of those damn carvings on it with a small jewel in the middle. The runes were drawn in circles that seemed to spin and settle in a certain pattern. And it was the current pattern that was leading him to the markers. The disk went back into his jacket and the lantern was set onto the ground. He hefted the axe to check his stance and its weight. Then he went at it and chopped the marker to splinters.  
  
He wanted to be sure that nothing remained of the bitch after she finally left.  
  
******  
  
Dawn came slowly the next day. A light fog had settled during the night and was to burn away with the coming light. It was a bit odd there wasn't any chill to accompany the weather, but hardly anyone noticed. Word had indeed spread that Hikaru was leaving today since the headman was dead. They gathered loosely in the center of the village, wanting to see her off.  
  
It was a little after morning light had crept over the peaks when a tired looking Yawnin came walking into the crowd, stifling a yawn. Minutes later, Hikaru came down the path from the hut followed by Juanyu and Inuyasha. Hikaru carried a small bag hanging from her side with a quiver and bow slung along her back; and Juanyu had a large wicker basket strapped to his back. Inuyasha wasn't carrying anything that he hadn't brought with him.  
  
"Ready to go, are you?" Yawnin said lazily.  
  
Juanyu and Inuyasha looked ready to jump Yawnin and beat him senseless but didn't do anything. Hikaru had warned them back at the hut that if they did any such thing, she would beat them soundly.  
  
She simply nodded. The healer set her bag on the ground, fished around for a moment, and brought out a small vial. "Please give this to Sora. It will help with her burns and anything else that the acid might do to her. It can be mixed into either a broth or paste," she said.  
  
The vial was out for him to take and Yawnin was tempted to simply refuse and slap the thing out of her hand. But before he could act, his grandmother stepped forward and took the vial from her.  
  
"Thank you, lady. Thank you for everything that you have done for my family and all the people in the village. I hope that you find whatever you are looking for," she said.  
  
Hikaru looked pleased and almost at tears. She reached down to pick up her bag again, but it was gone. Juanyu had taken the bag and was stuffing it into the basket that he was carrying.  
  
"Juanyu, what are you doing?"  
  
"I'm going with you, of course. You don't really think that Yawnin will let me stay in the village, do you?" he replied. "Besides," he added, "I still owe a great debt to you. I won't leave your side until it is repaid."  
  
Hikaru smiled and adjusted the strap from her quiver. It would be good to be traveling with him.  
  
"Come on. Let's get out of here. I want to go home," Inuyasha said and started walking out of the village. Hikaru and Juanyu went with him.  
  
There were some tears as she left, but nothing to obvious. The villagers knew that Yawnin had no love for either his cursed cousin or Hikaru. He wouldn't want anyone to show how much they were going to miss them both.  
  
******  
  
Yugi walked the path with a light in his step. He should reach the village this morning. Behind him, Houshi-sama and the others were trying to keep up with Yugi's pace. The young priest was anxious to get to the village.  
  
He stopped as he sensed something on the road ahead of him. It took him a minute to recognize the presence of youki. Which meant that youkai were nearby. Yugi took a fighter's stance; he wanted to be ready for anything.  
  
Then he saw them come over the crest of the hill. It looked like a young man traveling with a pair of hanyou. One hanyou was a young man in red, and the other was a young girl. It came to him; the girl must be the hanyou healer that he had been told about. She didn't seem threatening. In fact, she looked kind of cute.  
  
Her pace quickened when she saw Yugi. The men with her rushed to keep up.  
  
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" she said.  
  
Yugi was taken aback by her questions. She seemed worried for some reason. He thought it best to be honest with her. "My name is Yugi and I'm a priest. I'm traveling to a village that is supposed to close by. You haven't gone through any villages lately, have you?"  
  
"How close by?" the man asked.  
  
"I was told that I would reach it this morning," he replied.  
  
The girl gasped and hurried away from them. The man ran to catch up with her.  
  
"Yeah, there's a village near here. Just continue on over the hill. You can't miss it," the hanyou boy said before leaving himself. Yugi turned around and ran to catch them again. He was curious why she was acting like she was.  
  
The girl stopped just in front of the others. Houshi-sama was glaring at her with obvious disapproval. His eyes lit up when he saw his former student coming to them.  
  
"Ah, Yugi. There you are. Did you know that this is the hanyou healer we were sent to replace? I think that it would be best if you made an example of her" he said.  
  
Yugi didn't like Houshi's tone of voice. "It looks like to me that she was leaving on her own accord. I see no reason to do anything to her," he said. Yugi then turned to Hikaru. "In fact, there is something I would like to ask of you."  
  
She looked up at him and he was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "Yes, what is it?"  
  
"Well, I was wondering if you had any advice for me. You have been in the village longer and have known the people there," he said. It wasn't what he was going to ask, but he couldn't ask her why she was leaving. Most likely he would find out when he reached the village.  
  
She gulped and took a deep breath. "There is one thing. Pay attention to the birds."  
  
"Birds?"  
  
"Yes. The birds. They come from the forest to the tree by the hut on the out skirts of the village. Heed them well. They gather in the tree twice a day to be fed. Feed them well and they will act as early warnings against youkai. If a few of them fly out of the forest suddenly, that means that there is a strong youkai nearby. If it seems that all the birds in the forest are leaving, then get everyone out of the village. That is the best advice that I can give you. Now, good-bye," she said. The hanyou girl turned quickly and walked away. The two men with her followed after her; leaving a confused priest behind them.  
  
Houshi-sama was quiet for a moment and snorted when they were out of sight. "Pay the wench no heed, Yugi. Birds are dumb animals, don't waste your time on them," he said and directed everyone to continue on.  
  
Yugi followed after a space, thoughtful. He would have heeded his mentor's words, but if it weren't for the hanyou girl. She seemed so earnest and her eyes were so sincere. He knew that outwardly, he would listen to Houshi-sama. But when he was on his own, he would listen to the hanyou.  
  
******  
  
"Can you believe that! It can't be just a coincidence that he was coming in as we were leaving. Someone sent for that guy," Inuyasha said.  
  
Juanyu nodded in agreement. "True, but who? Who could have sent for this priest?"  
  
Hikaru alone didn't voice her opinion, or what she thought in her heart to be the truth. The headman had sent for Yugi because he had lost faith in her and her abilities. He must have been hoping that the priest would arrive before he died. But the priest came too late to save the headman. Hopefully he came in time to help the other villagers.  
  
******  
  
Children from the village gathered at the hut. The new priest was still in the village with the grown-ups. None of them could still believe that Lady Hikaru was gone. She was a great healer; they couldn't understand why Yawnin would want her to go.  
  
They were sitting underneath the tree when something fell form the branches. A little girl picked it up. It was a piece of wood with some funny looking marks on it.  
  
"What is it?" one of the boys asked.  
  
The girl shrugged and one of the older boys took it from her to at it closer. He studied it for a minute before going pale. "I know what it is," he whispered.  
  
The other children leaned in to hear him. "So, tell us," one said.  
  
The boy gulped. "Two years ago, I helped carry the border markers for Lady Hikaru when she was setting up the border. This is a piece of one of the markers."  
  
As if on cue, more pieces of the markers rained down from the tree and onto the children. They yelped and screamed as the pieces hit them, but they were mostly frightened.  
  
The border was what was keeping a lot of the bad youkai away from the village. If these were real pieces of the markers, that meant that the border was down. Sanusha could come back!  
  
The children gathered as much of the remnants as they could. They wanted to keep them for two reasons. One was to remember Lady Hikaru. Second was that they hoped that there was enough magic left in the shards to protect their homes from the youkai. 


	8. YogenshaTamashii

The youkai scurried through the underbrush, fleeing for its life. The small creature paused against the side of the tree, gasping for breath. It had been running since early this afternoon, and now it was almost sunset.  
  
Why was this girl chasing it? The youkai wasn't strong enough to cause anyone any trouble. The bitch had simply shown up with her quiver and bow; then the chase began.  
  
It only had a second left to live. And in that second, it realized that the girl was actually a miko of some power. This realization came just as an arrow skewered in the middle and reduced him to dust and ash.  
  
******  
  
She smiled and lowered her bow. A direct hit, perfect.  
  
The young woman sighed with boredom and sat on a rock. She had been in these woods for almost two months, training and perfecting her aim. Her problem was that she didn't know if she was good enough to go the next step.  
  
Yakani wanted to be the strongest that it was possible to be. There was only one thing standing in her way. Kikyou, the former guardian of the Shikon no Toma. Yakani knew that if she were to be the strongest, she would have to surpass Kikyou's strength. That meant she would have to completely kill the one responsible for the miko's death. The hanyou Inuyasha.  
  
******  
  
"How much farther are we going today?" Inuyasha whined. He had been traveling with Hikaru and Juanyu for about a month now, he wasn't any closer to getting home. It seems that the fish youkai that brought him to Hikaru had gone a long way. And that meant that it would be a while before he could return to the village. Damn.  
  
"Not much further, Inuyasha. Juanyu says that there is a village not far from here," Hikaru said.  
  
"Then what are we waiting for?" he demanded. Both he and Hikaru were by a stream, just sitting around. On the edge of the horizon, the sun was beginning to set.  
  
She sighed, "It's the last day of the month. I turn human tonight."  
  
Inuyasha's eyes went wide as he remembered. Then he saw the logic behind their waiting. It would be safer for Hikaru if she entered the village as a human girl instead of a hanyou changing into a human. And Inuyasha was here to protect her.  
  
Even as it came to him, the healer was transforming before his eyes. Her hair was darkening and the ears were lowering. There was barely any light left when the change was complete. He was taken by surprise again by how much she looked like his late mother.  
  
Hikaru stood and gathered her things. "Come on, Inuyasha. Juanyu was supposed to have gotten us some place to spend the night," she said and started walking.  
  
He got up and followed behind silently. Last time he had seen her as a human was when they first met; at the time, he wasn't very lucid or coherent at the time. But now, he noticed that there was something oddly familiar about her. He didn't mean what she looked like, something else.  
  
He shrugged and gave it up. Right now what he wanted was to eat dinner and get some sleep.  
  
******  
  
The village wasn't a large one, or small. At one end of it there was a large hut with just as large crowd gathered outside. Hikaru and Inuyasha found Juanyu standing away from it all outside where they were to stay.  
  
"Juanyu, what's going on?" she asked.  
  
He looked at them then away. "It seems that a child was brought here today to be tested," he replied.  
  
"Tested?" Hikaru sounded confused.  
  
"Ah, this must be the village of Yogensha-Tamashii," Inuyasha said.  
  
++ 'Yogensha-Tamashii' means soul seer. You'll see why in a moment.  
  
Now the girl was even more confused. "Who are you talking about?"  
  
"Yogensha-Tamashii is a youkai who tests the power level of all potential priests and priestesses. She determines how strong they are capable of becoming. It seems that centuries ago, she went up against a powerful miko and became blind at the end. Since then, she lives here in this village. People bring children here every year to find those born to be trained in the priesthood. She changed her name to suit her new life," Juanyu explained.  
  
Hikaru looked over at the hut and the people there. She had no idea that there was any way of testing children for the houriki that was inside a priest or priestess. She didn't even know how her mentors were chosen and trained for their path in life.  
  
++ 'Houriki' means priest's spiritual power.  
  
A man came out of the hut with a little girl holding his hand. He stepped into the crowd and spoke to someone there. Word seemed to spread through them, gasps and cheers rose up from them. A young man came up to them, all excited.  
  
"It is wonderful! Kanrini is to be a priestess! The seer says that she has the strength to be a great miko," he said and left to spread the news.  
  
The crowd dispersed, the girl was lead away to a hut, and torches were lit as night fell.  
  
"What will happen to the child?" Hikaru asked.  
  
Inuyasha tucked his hands into his sleeves, "She'll be taken back to her village where she will be trained to be a miko. When her training is done, she'll be responsible for its welfare. Much like what you were doing in Juanyu's village."  
  
"I have dinner ready inside. Let's eat and get some sleep. I think it would be wise to leave early in the morning before any of the villagers get up,' Juanyu said.  
  
Hikaru and Inuyasha agreed and headed inside. Dinner was a warm beef stew with fresh vegetables cooked in a thick broth. Inuyasha missed Kagome's instant soup bowls.  
  
No one did much talking during dinner. They all had things on their minds. After the meal, they heard voices passing by their door.  
  
"Are you sure?" one man asked.  
  
"Yes, I'm certain. Yogensha-Tamashii says that several of the lower youkai that use to live in the forest around here has gone missing. She doesn't know what is going on, but I think that she is afraid," another replied.  
  
"Will whoever is doing this actually go after her?"  
  
"I don't know. I hope not."  
  
Inuyasha's ears perked up at the news. He thought that he had felt something in the woods earlier, but he hadn't been sure. He rose.  
  
"I'm going to the woods. I want to know what's going on there," he said and left without another word. Juanyu moved to go with him, but the hanyou called back, "Don't even think of following me. Someone has to stay and watch Hikaru."  
  
Juanyu sat down again. Inuyasha was right. Someone had to look after the healer.  
  
******  
  
Inuyasha rushed into the woods, sniffing around for any kind of clue. All he could smell though was faint traces of lesser youkai, humans, and other normal woodland smells.  
  
Dammit, whatever was causing these deaths; Inuyasha had no clue what it could be. It certainly wasn't Naraku. This kind of thing wasn't his style, or the style of any his known offspring. Either this was something new or the bastard was changing his plans. Whichever way it was, Inuyasha would feel safer after he checked it out some more.  
  
******  
  
Yakani smiled. All of her training and preparation would be tested tonight. She had seen Inuyasha leave the village a few minutes ago and head into the woods. He must have heard about the disappearance of the local youkai and decided to investigate. He had left his companions in the village. Perfect.  
  
She quickly finished her small meal, gathered her quiver and bow then went off. This hunt was going to be interesting.  
  
******  
  
"Juanyu, how do you think of Yogensha-Tamashii does it?" Hikaru asked. She had been working on replenishing her herbal remedies while he made new arrows. She finally voiced out loud what had been going around in her mind all evening.  
  
Juanyu paused for a moment then shrugged. "I'm not sure. 'Yogensha' means soul, and 'tamashii' means seer. I suppose that somehow she sees into a person's soul. And from that, determines their power," he said.  
  
Hikaru was silent. After a moment, she came to a decision. The healer finished her potion as quickly as she could than cleaned up. Juanyu was puzzled by her actions. Especially when she got up to leave the hut.  
  
"My lady! Where are you going?" he exclaimed.  
  
"I'm going to see Yogensha-Tamashii. I want to hear what she says about me," was her reply.  
  
******  
  
Inuyasha was getting nowhere. He couldn't smell or sense anything that could have been strong enough to either scare away or destroy all of those weaker youkai.  
  
He suddenly moved to one side and just missed getting hit by an arrow. His sensitive ears had picked up the sound of it moving through the air and dodged.  
  
Not too far away, he heard someone make a disgusted sound. "I can't believe you managed to dodge that. None of the others had managed to do it. I'm impressed actually," a woman said. She stepped out of the brush where she had been hiding and showed herself.  
  
She wasn't an unattractive young woman, but Miroku wouldn't try to pick her up. She was dressed as a miko, but he doubted that she was a real one.  
  
"Just who the hell are you, bitch!" he yelled. The hanyou couldn't draw his sword on her, she was human. Which meant that if they were going to fight, he would have to rely on his own powers.  
  
She smiled, "My name is Yakani. And I'm the one that will kill you. When that happens, I will finally surpass the miko you killed. The miko Kikyou." She raised her bow and notched an arrow. "I'll give you a few seconds head start before I give chase. That will make the hunt more interesting."  
  
Inuyasha grimaced and wondered for a moment how serious she was. He got more worried when he saw the look in her eyes. She was dead serious, literally. He got up and started running. He had to figure out how to beat her. If she didn't kill him first. 


	9. Revelations

Hikaru walked towards the hut with the youkai seer and was beginning to question her rash choice. Why should she see Yogensha-Tamashii? Hikaru already knew that she was a priestess healer, what new information could the seer tell her?  
  
Still she walked on to the door. The entrance was guarded by two of local village men armed with spears. The young woman knew that they wouldn't do any good should anyone actually decide to attack the youkai; they were more of a show of force.  
  
"Hey you, girl! What do you want here?" one of the men asked when she got close. Here Hikaru hesitated. She opened her mouth to say that she hadn't wanted anything when an old woman's voice came out from the hut.  
  
"Let the young woman in, boys. She will not harm me," Yogensha-Tamashii commanded from within. The men gave a bow to Hikaru and parted the door for her to enter. Now she had no choice but to go in if she didn't want to be rude. Hikaru swallowed her fear and stepped in.  
  
The inside of the hut was well lit with candles placed at intervals along the length of the hut. It was all one room, there weren't any other doorways leading to anywhere. At the far end of the room, sat Yogensha- Tamashii.  
  
The old youkai looked a lot like an old, hunched-back woman. The robes she wore had once been fine but were now ragged, stained and torn. In her left hand there was a long wooden staff. On the floor before her was a tray with a bowl of rice and some cooked fish. Apparently dinner had been served.  
  
"Um, I'm sorry that I've interrupted your dinner, Obaasan. I can return later if you wish," Hikaru said.  
  
"Nonsense, dear. You're here already, might as well come closer," she replied.  
  
Hikaru gulped and walked closer. She had never experienced such fear and nervousness before in her life. And for the life of her, she couldn't explain why. Yogensha-Tamashii moved the tray to one side and set down a pillow in its place. Without a word, the young human knelt on it.  
  
The youkai cupped Hikaru's face in her hands for a moment, seeming to study her with those blind eyes. The eyes were pale pools of blue. The healer couldn't distinguish the pupil or the iris from the rest of the eye. It was unnerving.  
  
To keep herself from fretting, Hikaru studied the burn marks. They reminded her of acid or any other kind of liquid burns. Those were the hardest to treat. A lot of the time the burns had been caused by oils or sometimes acids; water didn't work well on either material. The youkai had no chance to save her eyesight.  
  
Yogensha-Tamashii chuckled. "Don't worry about me, child. I learned long ago to live with my blindness. Because I can determine the strength of any future priest or priestess, I have proven that I still have some worth. Like you, young one," she said. Her face went serious and concerned. "Amazing. I have not seen any single human with as much strength as you since I met a young girl named Kikyou years ago. She had great potential and power. Her death was a great tragedy to many."  
  
Hikaru was surprised. "I'm afraid that you must have made a mistake, Obaasan. I'm not that strong," she replied.  
  
But the old youkai nodded. "Indeed you are. But I believe you when you say that you doubt your strength. It is rare that a hanyou is born with houriki."  
  
The young woman gasped. "How did you know what I really am?"  
  
"I'm not a fool, nor can I be easily deceived. When I became blind I slowly realized that I could see some things better than when I had my sight. You are a hanyou, dear."  
  
"Then why is my houriki so low?"  
  
"This is the night when you become human, right? Well, the rest of the time, your youki and houriki are fighting each other for supremacy. Perhaps tonight is the only time when your houriki can reach its full strength," Yogensha-Tamashii said.  
  
Hikaru knelt on the pillow in silence for a few minutes. What she had heard made sense, and would explain a lot of things. Any potions that she made on the nights when she was human worked better than those made on other nights. Finally she mumbled, "Then I'm strongest as a priestess on nights when I turn human."  
  
The youkai nodded. "Yes. Now listen close, there is something I must tell you. A few days ago, a young woman came to me. She had houriki. She wanted me to tell her how strong she could be. I told her the truth; she would make a good miko. But she could not be great, her power wasn't that strong. The girl was angry with me. She believed that I was lying to her, that she was much stronger than I said."  
  
Hikaru nodded. "Why are you telling me all this?"  
  
"Because she is still in the area. You have heard about the disappearance of youkai, right? Well that's her. She is determined to prove that she is stronger than she truly is. Her plan is to destroy the one responsible for the death of the great miko Kikyou. She means to truly kill the hanyou Inuyasha."  
  
The young woman gasped. This was not good. She didn't know what to do, but she knew that Inuyasha couldn't have been directly responsible for the miko's death. There had to be some way to save him. "What can I do?"  
  
"Go into the forest and stop the girl before she can kill Inuyasha. I know that he came here with you and your friend. You'll have to use his unique powers to find them in time," Yogensha-Tamashii replied.  
  
Hikaru nodded her thanks and ran out of the hut. "Juanyu! I need my arrows and your help!" she cried out. He ran out with her bow and quiver in hand.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked. Hikaru donned her quiver and explained what was going on. Grimly, he nodded in agreement that his powers were needed.  
  
He closed his eyes for a moment. Suddenly his body arched in a spasm in pain. Grey, shimmering fog surrounded his form and grew in size to about the same as a horse. When it lifted, a large, gray wolf stood in front of Hikaru. Juanyu lowered his mighty neck and the young woman wasted no time in grabbing onto some of the fur there and jumping onto his back. They left the villagers in speechless awe as they raced out of the village. The duo needed to hurry; they didn't know how much time they had.  
  
******  
  
Inuyasha leapt from tree to tree, hoping that this would get the bitch off his trail. Yakani hadn't been kidding about killing him. There was already a scratch on his cheek from narrowly dodging one of her arrows. He grimaced and paused for a moment.  
  
There wasn't any chance that he could explain to her the truth about his relationship with Kikyou. She wouldn't listen and was obsessed on killing him more than Kikyou had. His ears picked some noise form below and jumped in time to avoid another arrow.  
  
******  
  
Down on the ground, Yakani cursed to herself and took out another arrow. This was taking longer than she had planned. Inuyasha was better at dodging than she had thought. No matter, she would get him eventually.  
  
******  
  
The hunt went on for some time. Inuyasha was indeed good at dodging the arrows, but Yakani would not give up.  
  
Hikaru and Juanyu were having some difficulty tracking their friend through the forest. But Hikaru could sense his youki and was able to give Juanyu a general direction. She tugged on his fur to give direction and the wolf obeyed wordlessly.  
  
They could sense that they were running out of time.  
  
******  
  
Inuyasha leaned against the tree, panting. This was getting way out of hand. This Yakani bitch was more stubborn than he would have thought possible for a human, except for Kagome.  
  
Why did she think that killing him would prove that she was stronger than Kikyou? It didn't make sense. Then he remembered what he had to go through in order to wield Tetsusaiga after it had been broken. Maybe there was some sense to it.  
  
He put his back against the tree trunk to rest. Looking up, he figured that the night was half over. He wished that he could lose her before morning. Or at least stay alive until then.  
  
A whizzing sound alerted him before it was too late and he moved. Instead of hitting him in the head, the arrow pinned his shoulder to the tree.  
  
There was a slightly evil laugh coming not far off. "Did you give Kikyou this much of a fight when she killed you?" Yakani teased. She stood there with her bow aimed and another arrow in her hand. "Honestly, I have thought that you would have done more. Maybe all that time you were bound took the edge off of your rage."  
  
"Bitch! You can never be like Kikyou," he growled.  
  
She scowled and notched her arrow. "Shut up monster." She loosed the arrow and it flew smooth and fast. It struck Inuyasha in his other shoulder; he couldn't move at all now. There was too much power for him to overcome and free himself.  
  
Yakani smiled and loosed another arrow. This one was for Inuyasha's head. And there wasn't anything he could do to save himself. 


	10. Catfight

Inuyasha closed his eyes and waited for the arrow to hit. He knew that soon that he would be in hell, possibly with Kikyou. Although it sucked that he hadn't done everything that he had wanted to do; there was no way that he could avoid Yakani's arrow.  
  
And he waited. After a few moments, he realized that something must have gone wrong; the arrow should have hit him by now. In the distance he heard Yakani cursing under her breath.  
  
He opened his eyes and was surprised. A few feet in front of him, Hikaru was standing there with the arrow clutched in her outstretched hand. She had on her quiver and her bow was in her other hand. A little ways behind her, a giant wolf was at the edge of the clearing, a low growl coming from its throat. The hanyou guessed that it was Juanyu in his other form. His guessed was confirmed when a fog overcame the wolf and Juanyu emerged.  
  
"Juanyu, free Inuyasha," Hikaru said. He nodded and quickly went to work prying the arrows out of the tree. The hanyou noticed that he wrapped his hand in a rag before touching the blessed arrows. Inuyasha was surprised at Hikaru's voice. There was an edge to it that he hadn't heard before. It frightened him.  
  
"What do you want, girl? And what business is it yours to decide that this hanyou should go free?" Yakani demanded.  
  
Hikaru straightened up, making sure that Inuyasha was behind her. "I'm Hikaru. And by what right do you decide that Inuyasha should die?"  
  
Yakani looked shocked. Then she recovered and grunted. "I don't expect a simple girl like you to understand. He is a murderer. He is responsible for the death of the miko Kikyou from fifty years ago," she replied.  
  
"I don't believe you."  
  
"You should, you know," Inuyasha said from behind. "I did know Kikyou from that time long ago. But believe me when I say that I didn't kill her."  
  
She looked at him and smiled. "You I do believe," she said gently. "I won't let her kill you for vanity's sake."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"What do you mean by that, bitch? He's a monster that should be destroyed!" Yakani yelled. She was fumbling for another arrow. How could this girl catch her arrow like that? Something else as well. The girl's houriki was very strong, but it couldn't be stronger than her own. It was impossible.  
  
Hikaru shook her head. "You only know him through old rumor and filtered gossip. You truly know nothing about him. I have been traveling with him for almost a month now; and I have yet too see this 'monster' that you refer to. And I meant that you aren't trying to kill him because he is a menace to anyone. You want to him dead to prove how strong you believe you are. You think that by destroying the one responsible for Kikyou's death, you'll be stronger than her. But I'm afraid that power doesn't work that way."  
  
By now, Juanyu managed to get the arrows out from Inuyasha. "He's free, Hikaru. Let's go," he said.  
  
But she shook her head. "No, I can't."  
  
"Why not?" he asked.  
  
"If we run now, she'll only come after us. This woman won't stop until either she is stopped or Inuyasha is killed by her hand. I don't want that to happen. This whole things ends tonight," she said.  
  
"Then let me fight her!" Inuyasha insisted. He straightened up and took a fighting stance. He was pissed that this bitch just wanted to kill him to show that she was stronger.  
  
Hikaru shook her head. "You don't stand much of a chance against her. I do. Juanyu, take Inuyasha and get out of here."  
  
Now Inuyasha was really pissed. He wanted to hit Hikaru over the head. She was human, she didn't have any power. But.he sensed something from her, what was it?  
  
"Get him out of here now. I will handle this woman on my own," Hikaru growled.  
  
++I'm doing this indicate when Hikaru slips into another language.  
  
The others stared at her in confusion. Juanyu recovered first and took advantage of the situation, grabbed Inuyasha by the sleeve, and started to drag him away. After a few moments, the hanyou also overcame his confusion and struggled against the other man.  
  
"Hey! What are you doing? We can't leave Hikaru alone back there," he said.  
  
Juanyu stopped and turned around to look at him. "Listen, Inuyasha. I have heard Hikaru speak like that once before. I don't think that it would be a very smart idea if we stayed. Before we left to find you, she went and saw Yogensha-Tamashii. I don't know what they talked about in there but she seemed different when she came out. Let's get away from here."  
  
Inuyasha was silent for a moment but nodded. When Hikaru was talking strange, she seemed scary. Being away from them would be the sensible thing to do. They rushed deeper into the forest.  
  
But like most males, the prospect of a catfight was too a chance to pass up. When they thought that they were a safe distance away, they found a tall enough tree and climbed into the branches. Mid way up, they found a comfortable place where they were offered a clear view of the clearing where Hikaru and Yakani were.  
  
******  
  
Hikaru was thankful that Juanyu got Inuyasha out so quickly. She didn't want either of them involved with this. Her best bet was to finish the fight fast.  
  
Yakani was seething. How dare this bitch intrude like this? And what was she speaking? It wasn't like anything she had heard before. Enraged, she drew back another arrow and aimed. Her opponent did nothing but stick the arrow she already had in her hand into her sash.  
  
The arrow flew swiftly; but the energy infused into it wasn't the same. Yakani had turned dark and the power on the arrow was now a curse. Hikaru sensed the energy shift and dodged the arrow easily. It struck the tree behind her, the bark surrounding the impact site grew black and sickly.  
  
Yakani cursed openly and began firing again. In response, Hikaru dodged the arrows with the grace and swiftness that her teachers had taught her. To Inuyasha and Juanyu up in their tree not far away, it seemed that Hikaru was almost dancing amongst the arrow, missing them as she went. The hanyou and the shadow-half were impressed.  
  
Eventually the arrows stopped flying and both women paused. Yakani was low on arrows and Hikaru was getting tired. If she wasn't human right now, her endurance would be higher; but not tonight. The fight needed to end soon, or her strength would give out.  
  
Her controlled her breathing and composed herself. "My turn," she said and notched an arrow. Yakani glared, preparing herself to counteract it. This girl should be no match for her strength.  
  
Hikaru let loose her arrow and prepared another. Yakani smiled and easily caught it. The arrow disintegrated in her hand. "Huh. I knew it. You are no match for me."  
  
The second arrow flew at her and scratched her cheek. The dark miko laughed at this. "I can't believe it! Is that the best you can do?" she yelled and charged forward still laughing.  
  
Hikaru ran to one side and began to move to where the miko was. She found her fallen arrow and smiled. It would be over soon. Yakani had seen where her opponent went, turned, and followed. Hikaru jumped into the tree above her, out of reach.  
  
Yakani continued smiling as she glared up into the foliage. "Mmm, do you really think that you'll be safe up there, little girl? Well, you're not. I can easily kill you from down here.ugh," she grunted, clutched her stomach and collapsed to the ground.  
  
From far away, the men were wondering what was going on. So against their better judgment and Hikaru's advice Juanyu got on Inuyasha's back and they leapt from tree to tree back to the clearing.  
  
When they reached the site, they were surprised to find Yakani curled up on the ground like an infant. Her eyes were wide open and staring at nothing. Sweat covered her face and inched its way down her neck. Her breathing was quick and irregular. The whole thing frightened the two men.  
  
"Don't worry about her. She can't hurt anyone anymore," Hikaru called down from within the branches. She climbed down far enough that when she dropped the rest of the way down, she wasn't injured too greatly. In her left hand was a lock of black hair with twine wrapped tightly around it. In her other hand was her arrow.  
  
"Huh? What do you mean, Hikaru?" Inuyasha asked.  
  
She held up the hair. "Because of this," she said, "I used a spell my teachers taught me to bind her from harming anyone for any reason save self- defense. This girl will never be able to use her powers again."  
  
They stared at her speechless. Juanyu gathered the fallen woman in his arms and together they all made their way back to the village. No one was still awake and up when they returned; so Yakani was given a bed in their hut and they fell into an uneasy sleep.  
  
******  
  
Morning dawned like always the next day. The night cool faded away with the sun's warmth. With the cock's crow villagers woke up and began their day as they normally would. The party that had arrived the previous day began preparations to make the trek back to their village.  
  
But Yogensha-Tamashii couldn't see any of it. Her eyes only saw the energies that flowed within each individual person. Otherwise, the world was a dark blue-black haze. A soft cough outside her door announced that breakfast had arrived. Because of her talent, the youkai woman was given breakfast first from one of the families in the village; the duty was rotated from one to another.  
  
"Oh, come in, darling. I'm not violent, not anymore. I won't hurt you," she cried out.  
  
A small child nervously walked in carrying a tray. The boy managed not to touch her as she took it from his hands. Yogensha-Tamashii could smell steamed rice and fish and some tea as well. She smiled and sat down to eat.  
  
As she ate, the boy knelt down in front of her barely able to stay still. It got to the point where the youkai decided that she couldn't finish until she knew what was pestering the boy.  
  
She sat down her bowl and faced him. "All right, tell me. What is bothering you?"  
  
The boy gulped. "Well, I was wondering. Weren't you mad when you became blind? Were you always able to see the houriki?"  
  
She laughed softly. "I was mad at the miko who blinded me, boy. But only at first. Eventually my anger burned out and I learned to deal with it. All youkai have some minor ability to read a priest or priestess' powers. My blindness forced that sense to overdevelop to compensate."  
  
She finished her food and returned the tray. The boy took it and left. She noticed that he wasn't in as much of a hurry as when he entered. Yogensha-Tamashii giggled and settled back on her cushions. And she felt a little guilty at what she told the boy. He was expecting the whole truth from her; children at his age invariably do. But she didn't. She had told him part of the truth, just not all of it.  
  
Her smile faded as the thought of winged Phoenix came to her mind. That one had shown up shortly after Yogensha-Tamashii had lost her sight. At the time, the youkai was angry enough to lash out at anyone. But the Phoenix quickly showed her that the stranger was not one to mess with if you valued your life. After the demonstration, the youkai was told things that she was not to repeat to another living soul until the time was right.  
  
Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes for the first time in generations and she quickly wiped them away. Damn it, why was she reacting this way? She should have been glad that she met Hikaru last night. It meant that the prophecy was coming round. But she wasn't glad at all. Maybe it was because after all this time amongst the humans, she had grown soft. It surprised her that she didn't mind the softness even though at one time it would have.  
  
Yogensha-Tamashii closed her eyes and bent her head in prayer. She prayed that it wasn't the girl and her brother that the prophecy was meant for. But she knew that there was little chance of that. Hikaru had the necessary youki and houriki powers the prophecy called for. "Those poor hanyou," she whispered, "Neither of them know the truth about their destiny. And now there is no stopping it."  
  
******  
  
Yakani awoke late that morning feeling groggy. Her head hurt and her whole body ached. At first she couldn't remember what had happened last night. Then suddenly it all came back to her with crystal clarity. Inuyasha and that damn bitch Hikaru. She had done something to her and now Inuyasha had gotten away!  
  
She shrugged. Well, she just have to track him done again and make sure that the job got done this time. Carefully she stood up and almost fell before she regained her balance.  
  
Her bow and arrows were leaning against the far wall and next to the fire was a steaming bowl of rice porridge. Her stomach growled at its present state. Yakani decided that she could eat and gather supplies before setting out.  
  
After she greedily ate her food, she got her equipment and went outside. Her path took her past the youkai's hut. On impulse, she went to the door and demanded to be shown in. The guards were reluctant to let her pass but the youkai allowed Yakani to enter.  
  
"Good morning. How are you this morning?" Yogensha-Tamashii said politely. She could sense Yakani, but there was something strange about the houriki. When she figured out what it was, she couldn't but help to smile.  
  
"I thought that I would come here and say good bye to you that's all," Yakani said. Suddenly she pulled out a small dagger and lunged forward.  
  
The youkai deftly caught the wrist and stopped the attack. The young woman summoned her powers and tried to force the youkai to let go. But nothing happened. Yakani looked surprised at this development. With her level of houriki, the old youkai shouldn't have been able to touch her.  
  
"How? How can you do this?"  
  
"Because, young lady, you have no power now. I don't know what Hikaru did to you. But you've lost your power. You are a normal young woman now," was the reply.  
  
Yakani's eyes widened and she began gasping. A few minutes later, the villagers could hear screams of despair coming from the hut.  
  
******  
  
Hikaru stretched out her arms in the morning sun. Her youki blood had reasserted itself and she was a hanyou again. She felt better now than she had before. Maybe it was the revelation about her powers that did that, she didn't know. Behind her, Inuyasha and Juanyu followed her lead a few steps behind. None of them had gotten a good nights rest; not after what happened in the forest. Although they were sure that Yakani would not awake until morning, wards were drawn around her body and erased before they left.  
  
Inuyasha looked at Hikaru with new eyes. This girl certainly wasn't like anyone he had known before, hanyou or miko. Actually she was both if you thought about it. A youkai miko. There was something odd about, but it sounded impressive. Thinking of miko.  
  
"Hey Hikaru. How can we be sure that Yakani won't undo your binding after we leave the village? If she does, she'll come after both of us," he said.  
  
Hikaru stopped and faced them both. "No she won't, Inuyasha. Trust me."  
  
"I'm sorry, Hikaru-san. But I have to agree with Inuyasha. How can we be sure that we're safe from her now?" Juanyu asked.  
  
Hikaru shook her head. This must have been in both their thoughts since she told them what she did. "Don't worry about it. I used the hair to symbolize Yakani's power. Before I left the hut, I tossed the lock into the fire. Hopefully, the spell will react accordingly and burn the houriki from her."  
  
Both men openly stared at her in amazement. Neither of them had expected anything like this. Inuyasha finally grinned and began walking again.  
  
"Impressive, Hikaru," he said.  
  
"Are you sure that you should have done that, Hikaru-san?" Juanyu said. He looked disturbed and in need of reassuring.  
  
Hikaru turned around and continued walking. "If I had done nothing, she would have used her power for selfish reasons. I didn't want to kill her, only her power. Now she will live out the remainder of her life as an ordinary woman."  
  
As they walked, Inuyasha knew at least one miko who wouldn't have minded having her power burned out. Then he realized that there was a lot in common between Hikaru and Kikyou. He was just glad that they were on good terms with each other. 


	11. Through the Village

The sun was high and shining with little breeze; just enough to take the heat off. The merchant caravan was traveling through a shaded path in the forest and making good time. The merchant smiled and wiped some sweat off his brow. He calculated that the caravan would reach the next town before tomorrow afternoon. And so far, nothing has gone wrong. The merchant hoped that it would stay that way.  
  
There had been too many stories going around lately of caravans being destroyed and anyone with them, animal or human, killed. Well if the wilder rumors were to be believed, then they were actually eaten and their remains left for carrion eaters. Despite the warmth of the day, the merchant shivered. If there was another way to get to the next village without going through this forest he would have taken it, even it meant taking more time to get there. But no other route was available.  
  
As the caravan made its progress down the well-worn trail, the canopy overhead got thicker and was shading more of the path. This made everything harder to see and more like night. The men got nervous but did their best to hide it and the animals were beginning to get jittery and harder to control. Several of the horses threatened to bolt. The men hired to help guard the caravan tightened the reins and kept their horses still. But they were a reflection of the feelings coursing through their riders. They wished that they could turn back. However the path was too narrow for that to happen.  
  
Suddenly a cry arose from ahead of the caravan. Everybody halted and waited for the scout to return. He ran back pale and panting.  
  
"What is it?" asked the merchant. He hoped it was something that would force the caravan back. Right now he would accept any excuse. He didn't care about the money anymore, life was more important.  
  
"Sir! There is a blockage up ahead. I can't see any way around it," the young man said.  
  
A rustling in the thick underbrush to the sides of the path stopped any more conversation. That was until the screaming started.  
  
******  
  
"How much longer do we have to wait until she gets the directions?" Inuyasha said. He was acting bored, as usual. They were all sitting by the roadside as Hikaru was listening to another one of her birds. Being on the road again felt good, but he missed Kagome and the others. Hikaru and Juanyu made good traveling companions yet it wasn't the same. He wondered what was wrong with Hikaru.  
  
Juanyu noticed that Inuyasha's tone had a little more respect in it. He smiled to himself at the change. The hanyou was more respectful to Hikaru ever since she had saved his life a week ago. Juanyu knew that Hikaru was powerful, so did Inuyasha and now he was beginning to realize how strong.  
  
It was good to take a rest at the moment. He let the straps of the basket on his back slip to his shoulders and felt the pressure on them ease a bit. His slightly enhanced nose let him know that the weather was going to be fine for the next few days. And that was good. He would feel better if it weren't for Hikaru's expression.  
  
Hikaru listened intently to what the bird was saying. Her ears twitched up and down in time with the bird's twittering. Her eyes were worried and hard. She understood what he was saying and his concerns. But she couldn't just take another route and ignore the mystery. She whistled her thanks to the bird when he was done and let him go. Then she stood and stretched.  
  
"All right, boys. We have a bit of a problem on our hands," she said.  
  
They both looked up at her, curious. What could the problem be?  
  
"It seems that the most direct route to your village, Inuyasha, goes through a forest not far from here. But there's a problem there."  
  
"What problem?"  
  
"Any travelers that go through there are brutally killed. Their bodies are found by people who try to take the same trail but turned back when the remains were found. Unfortunately, there aren't any other pathways available. We could go around the forest."  
  
"But." said Inuyasha. He had a good guess what she was going to say next.  
  
"But I can't just walk away form this. I was raised to help people. I say that we go to the forest and figure out what the problem is and try to solve it."  
  
Inuyasha had guessed right. Dammit, this girl was reminding him of both Kagome and Kikyou at the same time. He gave a grunt and stood up.  
  
"Which way is it?" He knew better that to try to argue with her. Most likely any attempt to argue would end up with him having a headache courtesy of her wooden staff.  
  
Juanyu said nothing and got the basket back on. After knowing her for two years, arguing would be a waste of time and energy. It was better to just give in and go along with it.  
  
Hikaru smiled and led the way. She was thankful that neither of them wanted to argue. She really didn't want to knock heads together, but she was willing to do that if that was what it took. Hikaru thought for a moment, wondering where this was coming from. She normally wasn't that inclined to hitting people. The hanyou healer shrugged and finally gave it up to Inuyasha rubbing off on her. Then she began to wonder if that was a good thing or bad.  
  
It was later that afternoon that they reached the village. It seemed quaint, if it weren't for the large funeral bonfire on the edge. Smoke rose to the sky and the hanyou could smell the stink of burning flesh and hair.  
  
"This must be it," Inuyasha said through clenched teeth. They hadn't even gotten to the town, and already he was getting a bad feeling about it.  
  
Next to him, Hikaru was having the same feeling. There was something definitely wrong here. For her, it was mostly coming from the forest a bit to the south of the village. Her ears picked up Juanyu growling softly. She placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him and it had some effect. He was still tense but at least he could pass for a human better.  
  
They entered the village cautiously, ready for a fight. But none of the villagers that looked their way seemed to care. Their faces were too sullen and sad. To Hikaru it appeared that the townspeople had fallen into a state similar to a broken wild animal; defeated.  
  
Inuyasha was fuming inside. These people had the look of those who had given up on ever winning. He had seen a few in his time. Mostly they were the people caught in the middle of two armies in battle. They knew that no matter the outcome, it would not be well for them.  
  
Juanyu went ahead a little and found the headman of the village. "Excuse me, sir," he said.  
  
The old man managed to tear his gaze away from the pyre and gave the young man a once over. "What is it, youngster?"  
  
"I was wondering if there was any rooms that my friends and I could stay in for the night?"  
  
The headman nodded. He gave directions to a hut not far from the edge of the village. Juanyu thanked him and quickly left. The headman's depression was so thick that even he could smell it.  
  
The trio found that they weren't the only guests of the village when they reached the hut. There was a small camp made there. Men were starting cooking fires and tending to about a dozen horses laden with heavy saddle packs. It had the look and feel of a trading caravan.  
  
Sitting in the doorway of the hut was a middle-aged man in finer clothes than the others. His belly was starting to bulge and he wore a sword at his side. They guessed that he was the merchant in charge of the caravan. Standing in front of him was a younger man who had the stance and bearing of a trained soldier. They seemed to be having an argument.  
  
"This is foolishness, sir! We shouldn't be here. Everyone knows about the stories that have been going around about this cursed forest," the soldier said. "We should turn around and find another route."  
  
The merchant slowly shook his head. "We can't afford to. The path that goes through this forest is the shortest route. If we did back track, we would have to go almost back to where we started to get onto an alternate route. No, I'm aware of the dangers that going this way present but it is a risk that we have to take."  
  
The soldier's face turned bright red. "You merchants are all alike. All you care about is your money!" he hissed. With that he turned around and stormed off.  
  
Again the merchant shook his head and finally noticed the newcomers. "Oh! I didn't see you there. Please, come closer and sit with me. I could use the company right now. My name is Sanja," he said. He gasped when he got a closer look at the hanyou.  
  
Hikaru giggled, "It is all right. We have no intention of hurting you. Have you been to anyone about your eyesight?"  
  
"What about his eyes?' Inuyasha asked.  
  
"He's nearsighted. That's why he didn't know what we looked like until we got closer," she replied.  
  
The merchant nodded. "Yes, that's true. But I have to admit, young lady, you are the first to have noticed this quickly. Most other people figure it out much later."  
  
They settled around him and introduced themselves. Fortunately, the wind was coming from behind them so it didn't bring the stink of the pyre to them. As the evening fell, the workers began to assemble together for dinner. Sanja invited the group inside to dine with him and it was accepted graciously.  
  
"If you don't mind my asking, who was that you were arguing with earlier?" Hikaru asked after dinner.  
  
Sanja set his bowl on the table and eased back. "That was the captain of the caravan's guard. He wants to retrace our route and find another that avoids this forest."  
  
"You mean because of the stories about it?" Juanyu said.  
  
The merchant nodded. "Precisely."  
  
"Then why don't you?" Inuyasha put in. His chin rested on his hand and he was back to his indifferent mood.  
  
Sanja sighed. "I wish that we could. But I'm afraid that we don't have that option open to us right now."  
  
Inuyasha grunted. "It's because of the money you'd lose, right?"  
  
The merchant hastily replied, "No, no. That's not it at all."  
  
The others looked at him in surprise. Just what was it that this man was willing to risk his life for that couldn't wait?  
  
He looked down at his hands. "You see, normally I'm a silk trader and I have down well for myself. But a few weeks ago, I received a message from a friend. He needed to deliver several packages of medicine to a town south of here. Unfortunately, he had broken his leg and couldn't make the journey. I was asked to take his place. I agreed. He told me that the medicine had to be delivered within a time frame. Right now, that time is almost up. There is no time to go back and make it in time. You now see my dilemma. I know that I shouldn't risk the lives of my men, but there isn't any other choice."  
  
They sat in silence. It was quite a problem that the merchant had on his hands. And he was right; there wasn't any other choice. But there was something that could be done to lessen the risk.  
  
Inuyasha grunted and clasped his hands together. "What time are you leaving tomorrow?"  
  
The merchant thought for a moment. "We leave at mid morning. Why?"  
  
"Just wanted to know what time we should be ready to go with you," he replied. The others looked at him in surprise.  
  
"Are you serious?" Juanyu asked. The hanyou nodded. Hikaru smiled and Sanja looked relieved.  
  
"We're going that way ourselves. Might as well go with you and try to protect the cargo."  
  
With that agreed, they settled to sleep and the lamp was blown out.  
  
******  
  
In the darkness of the night, a silent figure made its way down the darker forest path. The person held a lantern, but it was dimly lit. There was hardly any light provided from it.  
  
Eventually the figure stopped and turned the light up a bit. It proved enough to chase away the huge spider-like youkai that were climbing down from the trees and emerging from the bushes. They hissed at the light and stayed well out of its range.  
  
With the light on, the man felt safer and sat down on the ground. He radiated patience, which barely covered his fear. The creatures had assured him that so long as he kept up his part of the bargain he was safe and would receive his share of the merchandise taken from the caravans. But that didn't stop his primal fear from rearing its head whenever he came here to meet the youkai.  
  
After a few moments, the spiders had quieted down as their leader descended and hung a few feet away from the man.  
  
"What do you want now, human?" asked the queen, the mother of them all.  
  
"There is another caravan coming this way tomorrow. The merchant in charge refuses to go another way. More food for you and yours," was the reply.  
  
The queen's rubbed two of her legs together in delight. Unknown to the human, she would be laying her eggs soon. That meant that the family would need more food to feed the newborn. This was perfect.  
  
"Good, we'll be ready. And as usual, whatever remains is yours to do with as you see fit," she said.  
  
With that the man got up and went back the way he had come. Allying with the youkai spiders was the best move he had made. Dealing with them was a lot easier than to keep paying any band of bandits. He smiled and hurried back to the village. 


	12. And into the Woods

The sun was shining bright with no clouds in the sky to hinder its light. There was a slight breeze to keep any travelers cool and it wasn't too hot yet. Not a bad time to do some walking.  
  
Hikaru hoped that there wouldn't be any trouble. She had inspected the medicine packages earlier that morning and she knew that the people at its destination sorely needed it. Realistically, she was aware that the caravan would run into trouble. But with her and her companions going along maybe it will stand a better chance of survival than the other caravans.  
  
Soon, Sanja mounted his horse and led the caravan out. Hikaru stayed up front with him while Inuyasha took the center and Juanyu brought up the rear. The captain of the caravan guards and several of his men resigned and stayed behind. They had vehemently refused to go along, even when the trio announced that they would tag along.  
  
Inuyasha got a bad feeling about this. He could sense youkai nearby, a lot of them. He readied Tetsusaiga in his hands for when it would be needed. He didn't bother to warn either Hikaru or Juanyu. He knew that they would sense the same thing.  
  
Sanja was feeling a little better about the success of this trip now. Normally, the thought of dealing with hanyou would be unsettling, but Inuyasha and Hikaru appeared to be nice people and sincere in their offer to protect the caravan.  
  
******  
  
Within the woods, the overhanging branches dappled the ground and gave shade from a warming day. The men of the caravan were tense but allowed the calm scene around them to relax them.  
  
Juanyu couldn't relax. Even though the forest seemed peaceful, it was too quiet for him to be comfortable. There were no birds singing, no insects buzzing, or any other normal forest sound. Having roamed in the woods for a good deal of his life, Juanyu knew that this was not good at all. A normal forest should be bustling with the sounds of those who lived in it. They only went quiet when they sensed an immediate threat nearby. Juanyu eased his way to Inuyasha and relayed his fears. The hanyou shared similar misgivings and they both made their way to Hikaru.  
  
******  
  
The spiders watched their advancing prey with relish. They were hidden within the deepest of the shadows in the trees close to the trail. Far ahead of the group, others of the family were reinforcing the roadblock; it had been damaged in the last raid. Someone actually came close to breaking through. The spiders had taken their time killing that one. But they pushed the memories aside in anticipation of new meat.  
  
The men were strong with a lot of muscles and the merchant looked pleasantly plump. The animals looked well fed, almost plump. They all would certainly make good eating. And those hanyou! It had been too long since the last time any of them had tasted hanyou flesh.  
  
The spiders chuckled to themselves in glee. Then they scurried quickly back to the queen. This would certainly be a feast to remember!  
  
******  
  
"I know. I feel it too. Do you have any idea what it could be, Inuyasha?" Hikaru said quietly. She and her friends were a little behind Sanja but ahead of the caravan.  
  
The hanyou shook his head in response. He had no idea what could be up ahead waiting for them. They all could sense something, but what it was precisely eluded them. This made Inuyasha more nervous and edgy than usual. He hated being in here. The branches overhead were crowding in on them, lessening the light and deepening the shadows. He could hear some of the men grumbling about lighting some lanterns to see by.  
  
"Sanja-san! Sanja-san!" cried an incoming voice from ahead.  
  
The merchant signaled the caravan to stop. He dismounted and walked forward, with the trio not far from behind. "What is it, young one?" he asked. There was a trace of fright in his tone.  
  
The young scout staggered into view. His face was pale from shock and from blood loss. The scent of blood was heavy on the air; even the humans could smell it. His clothes were ripped and torn; everyone could see the slashes across his torso and limbs. The effects of the scent on Hikaru and Inuyasha almost made them gag and light headed.  
  
Sanja cried out at the sight and caught the scout as he fell to his knees and almost to the ground. Juanyu rushed forward with bow in hand and an arrow notched. Trouble was coming towards them now; it had gotten impatient waiting for them. Behind him, Inuyasha and Hikaru went on guard as well. The rest of the men tensed but armed themselves as well.  
  
The stillness weighed heavily on the party. The only sound heard besides the animals was the shallow panting of the wounded scout.  
  
Then happened. Something reached out of the underbrush, grabbed a man around the ankle and dragged him in. His screams startled everyone and froze them for a moment. This was long enough for the rest of the spiders to come out and start attacking.  
  
"What the.?" Hikaru gasped.  
  
"Spiders! Dammit, I hate spiders!" Inuyasha cried and barged in. He swung the transformed Tetsusaiga, but the spiders were moving too fast for him to hit effectively.  
  
Juanyu let arrows fly, but kept missing. The damn youkai spiders moved too fast for him. Hikaru simply waited until they got close enough and swung her staff. While her companions were going on the offensive, she was on defense. Several of the men managed to run away, only to discover that an enormous web blocked the path. The discovery was made when they ran into the sticky strands and got caught.  
  
Eventually, the spiders grew weary of dodging and having the hanyou girl hit them with her stick. They released blobs of their silk and managed to imprison many of the prey. The only ones still free were Juanyu, Inuyasha, and Hikaru.  
  
The trio gathered together in a huddle with their backs to each other. None of them were winded from the struggle; they had higher endurance than that. Up from above, they began to hear a hissing chuckle.  
  
"Well, well. It seems that these are fighters. Their meat must be ripe for the stripping," a voice said. From within the dark shadows of the trees, the Queen spider lowered herself down to the ground. She was about the size of a young cow with six blood red eyes to match the same colored mandibles on her head. There was a small pair of black legs that probably functioned as arms right beside the head. The other legs came from the abdomen; the design on the back was mottled with the same coloration as the forest.  
  
Inuyasha growled, "Okay, just who the hell are you?"  
  
The Queen laughed softly. "My family and I have lived here for years, hanyou. We lived on whatever creatures we could feast on, but it was never enough to satisfy our hunger. We even had to resort to eating our own young in order to survive. But not any more!  
  
"There was a ward in the village behind you that kept us from intruding onto this path. But recently a human came to us with a proposition. We kill any caravans that come this way. We keep the flesh for our own purposes while he kept whatever the caravan had. It has been a most profitable partnership."  
  
"And the ward?" Hikaru asked, even though she could guess the answer.  
  
"Why, the human was kind enough to destroy it for us." The Queen laughed loudly now for several moments. Then she quieted down and glared at the trio closely.  
  
"It has been some time since I have seen one hanyou, let alone two together. And I am bored. How about a little game before your deaths?" She seemed to think for a moment. Then she made some signal to the others. Inuyasha and Juanyu were picked up by a pair of spiders and bound by silk to a tree. This left Hikaru all alone facing the Queen.  
  
"What do we get if we win?" Hikaru asked boldly. She knew that there was little chance that she could win against the Queen. But that didn't mean that she couldn't try or get to a draw.  
  
The Queen laughed. "If you insist on it. For every one of you that wins, we'll let you and one of the other humans go with your lives," she said. Hikaru nodded in agreement to the terms. There wasn't any need to ask what would happen if any of them lost.  
  
Inuyasha struggled against the tight silk that bound him. Dammit, he couldn't believe that Hikaru agreed to this. He knew that she wasn't much of a fighter. Then that might be why the Queen chose her to go first.  
  
The two women were left to face off with each other. The rest of the spiders gathered the horses and wagons and lifted them up into the treetops to clear the field. Hikaru made sure that she had a good grip on her staff and cursed herself for forgetting to arm herself with her bow and arrows. Yet, judging from the speed that these youkai moved she doubted that the arrows would have made much of a difference.  
  
The Queen made the first move. She lunged forward with alarming speed and stroke out with one of her claws. Fortunately Hikaru managed to dodge just in time. But the claw did scrape across her chest, cutting her kimono and leaving a small cut just above her breasts.  
  
The spider chuckled. "You're certainly faster than I thought you would be. Be assured that it won't be a mistake I will repeat."  
  
And she was true to her word. The Queen kept charging and slashing and Hikaru was doing everything she could do just to avoid a serious wound. The hanyou was completely on the defensive. Then she dodged one claw only to be hit from behind with another. The hit slammed her to the ground. Hikaru quickly got to her hands and knees and almost stood up. But the Queen took the advantage and stabbed Hikaru in her right side with a leg. The leg carried Hikaru off the ground and pinned her to a tree. Hikaru screamed at the pain as the leg started twisting in her side.  
  
All around her, the spiders rubbed the forelegs together to cheer their queen on. Inuyasha and Juanyu stared on in despair and frustration. Hikaru needed their help badly yet there was nothing either of them could do about it.  
  
Another leg rose up and pinned Hikaru in her left shoulder. The healer dropped her staff, got quiet, and hung her head. Inuyasha began to smell something different about Hikaru just then. And it didn't seem like a good thing either. When the realization about what must be happening to her hit him, he increased his struggles in the silk.  
  
"Inuyasha, what are you doing?" Juanyu basked quietly. None of the spiders were paying attention to them. They were all focused on the fight.  
  
"I have to get out of here," he grunted.  
  
Meanwhile, the Queen's attention was fixed on her pinned prey. The hanyou girl hadn't done anything for a few moments, but she was certainly still alive. The spider knew that her children were watching with delight and wanted the show to continue. Not wanting to disappoint them, the Queen released Hikaru and the hanyou fell to the ground. But instead of hitting the ground flat, the hanyou managed to land on her feet. It was then that the youkai noticed something odd about the hanyou's energy.  
  
"Bitch," the hanyou said softly. There was something about the tone that sparked fear into the Queen. "Did you honestly expect to be so cocky to think that I could be taken down so easily?" Hikaru raised her head. Pairs of purple stripes had appeared on her cheeks and forehead. Her upper fangs had grown and protruded from her mouth. The whites of the eyes had taken on a garish golden color while the irises had turned blood red and slitted like a cat. Hikaru smiled and brandished her claws, "Now, let me show you precisely how pathetic a fighter you are." 


	13. Going Berserk

Inuyasha's face paled seeing Hikaru all youkai. Juanyu was also shocked at the slight transformation and afraid. Neither of them was sure what she would do. But it was evident that it would happen soon.  
  
"Inuyasha, what has happened to her?" Juanyu asked in a whisper.  
  
"I think that Hikaru is going all youkai," he replied.  
  
Juanyu looked bewildered. "What's that?" In a hurried whisper, Inuyasha quickly explained what it meant. Juanyu's face paled and both men began to work harder to break free.  
  
Hikaru giggled in a frightening tone that sent shivers done the spines of everyone present. She was bloodied all over from her own injuries, which made the sight of her all the more scary.  
  
The Queen was determined not to be frightened by the hanyou. She regained her composure and lunged forward. The spider wanted to finish this quickly, to prove to her family that this girl was nothing but a stupid hanyou.  
  
Amazingly enough, Hikaru dodged the strike easily. Her own claws struck out and slashed the bottom part of the leg off. Violet blood gushed from the wound and the Queen screeched in pain. The spider also reared back to avoid another attack.  
  
But Hikaru was moving faster now. She raced forward, tearing at the legs. The more her legs were damaged, the slower and harder it became for the Queen to move. Finally, she was crippled and forced to collapse onto the ground.  
  
"Please, please. Have mercy on me," she groveled.  
  
Hikaru's response was to laugh. "Mercy? Mercy for you? You sure as hell didn't bestow any mercy for anyone that came through here before us!" she yelled.  
  
"But we needed the food," the Queen tried to reason, "How else were we suppose to survive? We need living flesh to feed off of."  
  
"Well, in that case." Hikaru stepped forward and began to hack and slash with her bare claws. Soon the Queen was reduced to mere lumps of juicy flesh hurled onto the ground. "Now there is enough food to feed your family," she said.  
  
Behind her, the spiders quivered in fear and anger. A pair of braver ones screamed in outrage and charged. How dare this bitch do this to them? The Queen was now dead! Her death had to be avenged.  
  
Hikaru charged them and performed some impressive martial arts moves. The end result was that the pile of juicy spider flesh had grown by two more bodies. She smiled and licked some of blood off a claw. "Hmm. Don't like it. The taste is too tart for my tongue."  
  
Juanyu was scared. He had never imagined that Hikaru could be like this, ever. It seemed to him that this wasn't the real Hikaru, just some scary alternative reflection of her true self. He struggled more within his silky confine. Without removing his eyes from the grisly scene before him, he spoke to Inuyasha. "Are you having any better luck than me?"  
  
"I think that I'm getting somewhere, but I'm not sure," he replied.  
  
At that moment, his ears pricked up at an unexpected sound: someone was leading several horses down the path towards them. The hanyou cursed their luck. Here was another suicidal merchant. He gathered breath to shout out a warning; then he noticed how the spiders were reacting. None of them looked interested in the prospect of more food. Given, most of their attention was on Hikaru. But a few did turn to the noise, and showed marginal interest.  
  
Soon, everyone could see who was coming. To the surprise of the surviving victims, it turned out to be the captain of the guard that had refused to accompany Sanja earlier that morning that seemed to have been a hundred years ago. Some bandit looking men were with him; each of them was leading a horse.  
  
Inuyasha swore again. This must be the bastard that broke the ward against the spiders and made the deal with them about the caravans. The captain stopped at the edge of the ambush site and gaped in surprise and terror.  
  
"What is going on here? Why are these people still alive?" he shouted out. The human saw Hikaru and pointed at her. "Why isn't she dead?"  
  
The hanyou grew more frustrated and glared at the man. What an idiot! He obviously didn't realize that Hikaru was mad in more ways than one. It wouldn't be a smart thing to draw her attention towards you.  
  
But he had. Hikaru looked at him and her face grew dark. "Are you the one who sold himself out to these parasites?" she whispered barely loud enough for him to hear, gesturing to the youkai.  
  
The man nodded, but with none of his previous bravado. "So what if I am? This is the best scam I have ever done. It has made me richer than I ever could have imagined alone. I harbor no regret about what I've done. These merchants grow fat and rich off of the labors of others. Why shouldn't I have a piece of the wealth?" he demanded. His voice had grown louder as he talked. Some of his confidence had returned to him.  
  
One of her eyebrows rose. "Absolutely no regrets about all of the human lives that were sacrificed in the name of your greed?" she asked softly. Her tone sent shivers down the spines of everyone that possessed one.  
  
Again the man nodded. Inuyasha thought that he felt the silk threads thin out; he guessed that he might almost be free. But he was afraid that he was going to be too late to try to help the doomed captain.  
  
And he was right. Hikaru raced at almost godly speed and thrust her fingers through the man's shoulder. He screamed with great pain and terror but was cut short when Hikaru 's other hand grabbed his throat. "Then I won't be having any qualms about killing you," she said.  
  
Inuyasha increased his struggles when he heard that voice. He had already seen what Hikaru was willing to do when she spoke in another language; this was going to be much worse. He needed to stop her before matters got any worse.  
  
As he continued to break free, the hanyou used the unfortunate man to demonstrate some of what she had learned in regards to the martial arts. Although none of the other wounds bled out, everyone could hear it when she broke a bone or bones. The spectators were amazed at the angles that the human body could bend and move without pain. And they were equally amazed by the amount of bones in the body and how they could be broken. Yet in the back of their minds was a growing fear of this berserk hanyou.  
  
Eventually, she allowed the once human body to fall onto the ground in a lumpy, bleeding mass of flesh and pieces of bone. The other bandits were tensed to run as fast as they could if she showed any intent to exact vengeance on them. Several had already decided to reform at this point and lead honest lives for whatever time remained for them. She slowly turned to them and glared at them.  
  
"How pathetic of you. I attack your leader and none of you even protested to the treatment. But then, he had earned his 'reward'. Just like you have yours," she said. She popped her knuckles as a signal to her intentions. The men screamed and began to run. Hikaru began to chase them when her way was blocked.  
  
"Hikaru! Stop this! It's over!" Inuyasha screamed. He had finally broken free of the spider silk and was standing in front of Hikaru to prevent her from harming any other people. She had stopped and looked angry.  
  
"Get out of my way! Or are you in league with them.?"  
  
She tried to push past him, but he would have none of it. They struggled against each other for a few moments. Juanyu broke free as well, change into his wolf form and took out the rest of the spiders. None of them gave any resistance. They had lost heart after the butchering of their queen.  
  
Inuyasha needed some way to knock Hikaru out, but she moved her head too fast for him to hit. Then he remembered Tetsusaiga. He used his left hand to grab the sheath and rammed the hilt into her stomach. Hikaru let out a gasp then fainted under the sword's magic. His right arm held onto her by the waist then hoisted her over his shoulder.  
  
When Inuyasha looked at the scene of the ambush, he saw that Juanyu had managed to free the men of the caravan along with some of the horses. The men were releasing the rest of the animals while the giant wolf had gone ahead. He went after him and discovered him trying to dismantle the blockade. It was made of several fallen trees held together by the spider silk. Unfortunately, Juanyu wasn't making much progress.  
  
"Juanyu, stand aside. I can clear this easily," Inuyasha called out. After laying Hikaru gently on the ground he used the Cutting Wind to cut through the rubble and clear the path. Both hanyou and wolf managed to make the path accessible for wagons by the time the caravan caught up with them.  
  
Sanja said nothing to them as they passed by. The man seemed scared, Inuyasha couldn't blame him. When they had first met, Hikaru was her usual cheerful self. Then right in front of his eyes she completely changed on him. The poor merchant probably wasn't sure what to make of them. The whole thing had also frightened Inuyasha a bit.  
  
But the hanyou was also worried. What had caused Hikaru to go berserk like that? He got the impression that this hadn't happened to her before. Either she hadn't been in too bad a fight before or something happened back there that made whatever protection she had go away. Either way, they had to find something that can stop this from happening again or she would be lost to them for good. He had to admit that he had some affection for her, but nothing like what he felt for Kagome.  
  
After the last of the caravan had passed, Juanyu (back in his human form) told Inuyasha that the merchant was kind enough to return their things to them. Inuyasha picked up Hikaru as the young man shouldered the basket and they continued on their way.  
  
******  
  
Evening fell with a gradual normality in the forest. With the spiders gone. The animals felt safe enough to return to their habitat. And there was no chance of their return; some of the men had found the nest of eggs and made short work of the lot. None of them, though, wanted anything to do with the death site on the path. Later that night, they might try to bury the remains, but not now. The stench was too great and the deaths too recent for their liking.  
  
So it was curious when a single raven flew down and landed on the ground. Myouga jumped down by a pool of blood and sampled it a little. With a shock he realized that the taste was similar to Inuyasha-sama. Judging by the amount spilled, his master had partaken in a great battle. But the lack of a corpse showed that the resourceful boy was still alive. But there was something else. The blood tasted more like a youkai then hanyou. That could only mean that Inuyasha-sama must have gone berserk again. If that was true, then what had happened to Tetsusaiga? Thoughts for another time though; right now he needed to catch up with his lord.  
  
Then his eyes spied something not too far away. The flea-youkai jumped over and looked on with curiosity.  
  
The object was a little bigger than he was but lightweight when he tried to pick it up. It looked like a wooden box quartered equally into four smaller boxes. On one side of each box, a triangle rose up. It fascinated him that none of the triangles were close together but always a side apart. One of them had a hole bored through it and there was a little bit of thread going through. He didn't know what it was except that it radiated some kind of weird power. With some difficulty he wedged in between his back and his pack.  
  
Then he hopped back on the raven and they took off. They kept close to the ground so that Myouga could track Inuyasha's scent. The strength of it told him that it shouldn't be too long until he was reunited with the hanyou. 


	14. Old Friends and New

"How many times do I have to say that I'm sorry?" Juanyu complained.   
  
He and Inuyasha were around a fire by a river. Near the bank the hanyou had erected some branches into a drying rack. On it were Hikaru's clothing, cleaned of blood and drying. Juanyu had some skinned rabbit roasting on sticks and some broth simmering in a small pot.  
  
The hanyou was seated across from him, glaring at the man over the flames. "Much more," he said. He saw Juanyu's sullen look and slammed his fist into the ground. "What did you expect? You only made Hikaru worse earlier!" he shouted.  
  
******  
  
Flashback  
  
Inuyasha was standing upwind from the now conscious Hikaru. She was behind him, hidden within a small cluster of trees. The sounds of retching were clearly audible.   
  
The miko had woken up with next to no memory of what she had done and was dismayed at all the blood on her. This only made her go pale; she became sick when Inuyasha and Juanyu told her what she had done. They managed to get her to a secluded area before she couldn't control herself anymore.  
  
Inuyasha stood over her for protection while Juanyu said he was going to find some food. The hanyou gave her Tetsusaiga to lean on and to give her some protection from her youkai blood. He was now waiting for her to get done being sick. Part of him was disgusted at her reaction; but another part reasoned that maybe the girl had never taken a life before. This made him feel sorry for her.   
  
He showed none of this though when she finally emerged from the woods. Her face was still pale and had one hand clutching his sword on her stomach. He lost some of his show as she gave him a weak smile.  
  
"I'm sorry for acting like this, Inuyasha. An experienced warrior like you, you're probably think that my reaction was embarrassing," she said.  
  
He smiled too and shook his head. "No, none at all. Actually, I'm a bit relieved by this. After what you did to that miko girl, I was a little worried about how you would feel about having to take someone's life. But now I know. You would rather beat your opponent into submission rather than kill them. And I'm glad of that," he replied assuring her. About this time their noses picked up the scent of fresh blood. They turned and saw Juanyu came up the trail carrying some freshly killed rabbits.  
  
"Hello everyone. I found some food for lunch!" he called out. At the sight of the rabbits, Hikaru's other hand went to her mouth and her face turned green. She rushed back into the woods and began vomiting again.  
  
Inuyasha walked up to Juanyu and hit him on top of the head. "Idiot!" was all he said.  
  
******  
  
Juanyu massaged the top of his head in memory. "Well, yeah, I guess that I deserved that didn't I?" he said.  
  
Inuyasha nodded, "You sure did."  
  
"Inuyasha-sama!" a pipe-size voice cried out. Juanyu saw something small jump from the ground and land itself on the hanyou's nose. It sucked a little bit before Inuyasha hit his nose.  
  
"Myouga, I was wondering when you would show up again," Inuyasha said.  
  
"Huh? You know that thing?" Juanyu asked.  
  
"Yeah. This is Myouga, the flea-youkai. He use to serve my father but now he has attached himself to me."  
  
"And who might you be?" Myouga asked.  
  
"I'm Juanyu, a friend."  
  
Satisfied, for now, the flea returned his attention to his master. "I'm so glad that you're all right, Inuyasha-sama. When I tasted that berserk-tainted blood, I thought for sure that something terribly wrong had happened to you."  
  
Inuyasha looked confused. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"At the sight of the battle between you and those youkai spiders, Inuyasha-sama."  
  
"You thought that was me? But I didn't lose any blood during that battle."  
  
Now it was the youkai's turn to be confused. "But it tasted like your blood. If it wasn't yours, then whose?"  
  
The two men looked at each other in surprise and bewilderment. "Um, Myouga, I'm not the only new friend that Inuyasha has made," Juanyu said.  
  
******  
  
Hikaru sneezed and her body shivered. She was upriver from the men, washing herself underneath the power of a waterfall. Tetsusaiga was still clutched in her hands. Inuyasha had told her of its powers and thought it best that she hold onto it for now. And the miko was grateful.   
  
Although all the blood was gone, she still felt unclean. How could she have done that? How could she have taken a life so casually? Was that the curse of her youkai blood? If it was, then she never wanted to lose control again. But how when whatever protection that held the youkai blood in her reigned in was apparently gone.   
  
Hikaru pushed the gloomy thoughts aside and tried to focus on other things. Her wounds were healing nicely. But her right arm ached when she tried to move it and the same happened with her side when she walked. The cut across her chest was gone completely. She sighed.   
  
The cross that she normally wore must have gotten lost in the fight. The hanyou mourned its lost. It was one of the few mementos she had from the island where she grew up. She knew how to carve another one, but it was the sentimental value she missed.  
  
After another sneeze, she decided that she had been long enough and it was time to return to the guys. Staying in the water, she carefully walked back down to where they were. When she got close to the fire, she lowered herself deeper into the water for modesty's sake. She could hear them talking and called out that she was coming. Both men were startled and sat on the same side of the fire with their backs towards her. She climbed out and found her pack out and ready for her. Hikaru managed to dry herself off and found some dry clothing. After she had dressed she tapped both of them on the shoulder.  
  
"It's all right. I'm dressed," she said and took a seat by the fire. Then she began to twist her thick hair to squeeze most of the water out. Once she was sure that she got out as much as she could, she used her fingers to comb through the mess.  
  
They stared at her for a moment. They had never seen anyone dressed quite like this before. Hikaru was wearing a long, brown robe that went down to the middle of her calves. From there pants made out of the same material covered the rest of her legs. The sleeves came to her wrists and were a bit larger than necessary. A bunch of the material had been gathered in the back to form a hood. Some rope around wrapped around the middle cinched in to form the waist and act as a belt with small bags hanging form it. Tetsusaiga was placed in her lap.  
  
It took Hikaru a minute to notice the glares. "What?" she asked. Then she looked down at her clothing. "Oh, this. This was what I normally wore when I was growing up and when I first came here," she said.  
  
Juanyu rubbed his chin, "Yeah. I vaguely remember seeing you wearing that. It has been a while since you have."  
  
Myouga jumped from Inuyasha's hand landed on her knee and performed an elaborate bow. "Hello, young lady. I'm Myouga, a humble servant of Inuyasha-sama. You must be Hikaru."  
  
The miko looked at him and nodded. Then she looked closer at him and gasped. "There it is!" she practically squealed. She grabbed the flea with both hands.  
  
Both men were shocked by her reaction then saw that she was attempting to separate the flea from something. But Myouga wasn't inclined to let go.  
  
"Stop it! Stop it! It's mine! I found it!" he shouted.  
  
"Hey, Myouga, what is it?" Inuyasha demanded.  
  
His shout distracted the flea long enough for Hikaru to finally succeed in getting whatever it was the flea had.  
  
"It is something I found at the battle scene, Inuyasha-sama. And that girl stole it form me!"  
  
"It's really mine, Inuyasha. It's the cross I was given by my order as a child." She paused and thought back. "In fact, as long as I was wearing it, nothing happened to me. But," she put a hand to her chest, "when that spider cut across me here, she must have cut the cord and I lost the cross."  
  
"And shortly afterward you went berserk," Juanyu said. The group's eyes went wide in realization.   
  
"Myouga, let her have it back," Inuyasha ordered.  
  
"But, my lord…" the flea began.  
  
"No. It rightfully belongs to her. Besides, that thing may be the thing that was sealing her youkai blood. Trust me, you don't want to see her if her youkai blood gets control of her again," Inuyasha said.  
  
The flea was silent for a moment then sighed. He remembered what his master was like under the complete influence of his youkai blood. So he caved in and allowed the cross to be returned to Hikaru.  
  
Juanyu searched in the basket and found some thread, which Hikaru normally used to sew large wounds back together. The miko braided some lengths of thread together and restrung the cross and tied it around her neck.  
  
She sighed with relief, "I feel much better now. Here's your sword back, Inuyasha." The hanyou gratefully accepted his inheritance back.   
  
By this time, all the food was ready. Juanyu and Hikaru ate in silence while Inuyasha spoke to Myouga. It had been a long time since they were forced to part company.  
  
"So where are the others?" Inuyasha asked in between bites.   
  
"Miroku, Sango, and Shippou are looking for you as well, Inuyasha-sama. Kagome was sent back to her world. We thought that with you gone, it would not be wise for her to stay here. We told her that when we found you, you would go back and fetch her," Myouga replied.  
  
Inuyasha grunted his approval. He didn't doubt the skills of his friends, but he knew that he would be worried if Kagome was wondering around this world without him. He hoped that he could return to the village soon. He tossed what remained of his rabbit into the fire.  
  
"So, Hikaru. Which direction do we go now?" he asked.  
  
The miko finished her broth with relish and thought for a moment. "Myouga-san, how long has it taken you to get here?" she asked.  
  
The flea looked up at her with relief in his eyes. Ah, here was another person that realized the value he could be. "It has taken me three weeks to get here, and that was just by flying on a raven," he replied.  
  
"Hmmm, and how far away was the group from the village when Inuyasha was taken?"  
  
"About two weeks, maybe more," the hanyou said.  
  
"Then I guess that it could take us about two months to get back there," she said. "Maybe more because we have to walk."  
  
Inuyasha stood up. "Then let's get going," he said. Juanyu gathered their supplies and Hikaru banked the fire. Myouga jumped up and landed on Inuyasha's shoulder to ride along.  
  
Together they left the river and headed into the woods.  
  
******  
  
By the time that evening fell, they were deep in the darkened wood. There wasn't any visible trail and the going was tough. Rocks and roots threatened to cause the unwary traveler to trip and stumble. It was easy to get lost.  
  
Hikaru as in the lead and was using her staff to help her find any sudden drops in terrain; the setting sun and the thick overhang of the branches made it darker than it truly was. It also sent a unsettling shiver down her spine, it was in a setting like this that the youkai spiders attacked and she lost control of herself. The miko was trying mightily to forget it; not that she could remember much of what had happened.  
  
Behind her, Myouga was carrying a lively conversation with Juanyu. The flea youkai was regaling the young man with stories about Inuyasha. The hanyou in question and several times threatened massive bodily harm unto his servant if said servant didn't shut up. But that didn't faze Myouga. He was use to Inuyasha's threats. He just continued talking about Inuyasha's adventures.  
  
Hikaru giggled at the men's antics. They were just the thing to lift her gloomy mood. She knew that it would not do to dwell on things that she had done when she wasn't in control of herself. But still the death of that man would haunt her many nights to come.  
  
As she was thinking these thoughts, she failed to notice that the path she was taking was different from the path that the men were being led down. And they were too busy talking to notice either. So it was several minutes before Hikaru realized that none of the men were talking.  
  
"Hey, guys, is everything all right back there? We should start looking for a place to camp for the night. It's getting too dark to find anything resembling a trail here," she said.  
  
She turned to find herself alone and lost in the darkening forest.   
  
"Guys, where are you? Guys? GUYS!" 


	15. Unexpected, But Pleasant, Surprise

Inuyasha was having trouble keeping quiet. Okay, it was nice to have Myouga back after all this time. It meant to him that they were getting close to returning to the village. But did the flea-youkai really have to divulge his entire life story to a relative stranger like Juanyu?  
  
The two of them were having a delightful talk about him; blatantly ignoring the topic of their conversation. Inuyasha didn't know how much longer he could put up with this. He knew that they did have to stop soon, night was falling and making walking in this thick woods more difficult.  
  
"Hey, Hikaru. Do you see any good places to camp somewhere up ahead. It's getting dark and we should stop before one of us breaks something," he called out. But he received no response. Looking up, he was surprised to see that Hikaru wasn't there.  
  
"Hey! Hikaru where are you? Don't joke with us!" he cried out in growing alarm. This wasn't certainly not funny. Without hr, Inuyasha didn't have any real idea how to back to the village.  
  
The others had noticed at this time that Hikaru was indeed missing. They began to call out for her in earnest. Inuyasha sniffed the air for her scent. But it was no where to be found. Where had that miko gotten to?  
  
******  
  
Sesshomaru paused for a moment. Behind him, Jaken and Rin also stopped with their lord.   
  
"What is it, Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin asked.  
  
The youkai was silent for a moment. "Nothing," he finally replied, "I thought that I had heard something. It must have been the wind."  
  
The human child accepted that answer, but the small youkai wasn't so certain. He knew his lord. There was a look in his eyes that said that something was out there. May not necessary be a threat, but it was worth guarding against.  
  
Jaken sighed. This whole trip was strange. No one, not even Sesshomaru-sama could remember why they were in this forest. It had seemed like a good shortcut at the time but now with the thickening trees and rough terrain, he wasn't so sure.  
  
Sesshomaru knew that he had heard something just now, but he didn't want to alert his followers. They would only want to get involved and he didn't want that. Whatever it was, he was sure that he could deal with on his own. Also, this whole place was giving him a nagging felling that he had been here before. It may have been years if it was true, but he couldn't remember when he had been in this area or why.  
  
Something from the corner of his eye caught his attention. He whiled his head quickly in hopes of seeing it properly, but he only saw a glimpse. Yet that glimpse was enough.  
  
"It can't be," he muttered. Louder, "Jaken, Rin. Get on my back. Now!"  
  
Wordlessly they clambered on just as he began to run. That shape he saw, it couldn't be. It just couldn't; not after all this time. Besides, he was dead.  
  
******  
  
Inuyasha paused in his shouting to think. Where could have that miko gone? It wasn't like she would willingly abandon them or anything like that. Nor would she have gotten lost, she was in the lead. No, something else must have happened to her.  
  
Behind him, Juanyu was still calling out for Hikaru. He couldn't imagine what had happened to her. One moment she was right in front of the group, leading the way through this damn forest and the next, she was gone!  
  
"Hikaru-sama! Hikaru-sama! Where are you…" his voice quieted by an eerie sight. Barely within vision was a figure in white, almost silver in color. And the energy that Juanyu could feel from him was intense.  
  
"Who is that guy?" Inuyasha said, showing up at his side. He too had noticed the power emitting from this stranger and wondered if this guy had anything to do with Hikaru's disappearance.  
  
"Oh my goodness!" cried Myouga. He had a pair of hands to his mouth and was quivering with barely suppressed excitement.  
  
"Myouga, what the hell is wrong with you?" Inuyasha said. Just then the figure turned and moved away, deeper into the forest.  
  
"Oh, oh! Inuyasha-sama, hurry! Go after him!"  
  
"What the hell for?"  
  
Myouga turned his face up. Inuyasha was surprised to see that his eyes were a mixture of disbelief and certainty. "That is your father, Inuyasha-sama," was the reply.  
  
Inuyasha said nothing but began running with Juanyu not far behind.  
  
******  
  
"Hello? Guys? Come on now, if you're hiding somewhere come out. This isn't funny," Hikaru said. She had been wondering for a few minutes now and getting nowhere. Night had truly fallen, she was lost, alone, hungry, and getting more scared by the minute. What could have happened to them?   
  
Hikaru.  
  
She stopped in her tracks. It could have been the wind, but the miko could have sworn that someone was calling her name…and it wasn't any of the men.  
  
Hikaru, please child come here.  
  
No, it wasn't the wind, something was definitely out there. And he, she, it wanted her to come to them.   
  
Gulping, Hikaru began to walk to where the voice came from. No use in pretending she didn't hear or ignoring the command. It might make things worse. Then again, it wasn't so much a command as a request. Damn her curiosity but she had to know who it was that calling to her in such a motherly way.  
  
******  
  
Inuyasha raced through the forest following the ghost (he thought that it was the only thing that it could be) with Juanyu a few steps behind. No matter how fast they moved, the apparition seemed to be always just far enough ahead to keep the chase going.   
  
Gradually the trees thinned and gave way to a clearing. There Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks and Juanyu nearly ran into his back.  
  
"Hey, Inuyasha. What's the matter? Why did you stop?" he said.  
  
Inuyasha stood frozen. He couldn't be here. But then it had been many years since he left and he had traveled a lot. His recent travels could have brought him back.  
  
"I'm…I'm home," he whispered.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"This…this place. This is where I lived when Mother was alive," Inuyasha said. "I can't believe that I'm back. I thought that I would never be back here."  
  
Juanyu looked around. "No offense to you or your Mother, Inuyasha. But it doesn't look like anyone has lived here for a while," he said.  
  
The hanyou took a moment to look and realized that Juanyu was right. No one lived here now and haven't for a while. The grass of the once even lawn was now knee high and rest of the garden was overrun as the plants had been neglected over the decades. The house, which they could see in the distance was looking its age. It building was still in one piece but pieces of it were falling off. Yet Inuyasha could still recognize this place as where he had spent his childhood years with his human mother.  
  
"The manor must have been abandoned not long after your mother's death, Inuyasha-sama," Myouga commented. He looked at his lord and saw tears well up in the hanyou's eyes. It was because of this show of emotion that the flea was proud to serve his former master's younger son.   
  
Just then, not too far from where they were standing Sesshomaru burst out from the forest with his two followers on his back.  
  
"Hey, Sesshomaru. What are you doing here?" Inuyasha yelled.  
  
"That's the older brother of Inuyasha?" Juanyu asked in wonder.  
  
"Yes, he is. Sesshomaru-sama and Inuyasha-sama had the same fathers but different mothers," Myouga explained.  
  
Oh, that explains the difference in power that I'm sensing," Juanyu said.  
  
His older brother smirked. He didn't want to admit that he was surprised to see his younger brother here. Then he remembered where he was. This was the hovel where his younger siblings were born. He never did understand why his father would want to spend so much time here.  
  
"Hey, asshole! I'm talking to you! Answer me!" Inuyasha demanded. Sesshomaru never failed to annoy him one way or another. It was one of his more loathsome traits.  
  
"If memory serves me right…then this is the place where that worthless human wench spawned you. Isn't that right, Inuyasha?" he said.  
  
Inuyasha growled and swore that if big brother or not, if Sesshomaru had anything to do with Hikaru's disappearance he would pay for it.  
  
"Don't go insulting my mother. Say whatever you want about me! And another thing, did you have anything to do with Hikaru?" he responded.  
  
Sesshomaru was confused. "Who?"  
  
"The hanyou girl who was traveling with us a few minutes ago. Somehow she just vanished. Did you do anything to her?"  
  
Sesshomaru snorted. "Now why on earth would I want anything to do with another hanyou. I can barely tolerate your tainted presence," he said.  
  
++Can you just feel the brotherly love here?  
  
Inuyasha's growling only got louder and more menacing. But Juanyu found his older brother more frightening. The way that he just stood there and not show any emotion, like he was a living statue. And the power that he was emitting was also a factor. This youkai was powerful, he knew it and wasn't afraid to let others know the same. All of that made him more scary than Hikaru gone berserk.  
  
"That's enough from both of you!" a voice called out. The brothers relaxed and turned to the voice. Who was that?, they both wondered.  
  
Standing by what remained of a pagoda stood a youkai. He had silver hair going done to his feet and it was bound at the end. His clothes were finely made and the cut was made to comfortable and at the same time regal and acceptable in case of combat. The golden eyes held the viewer with their authority yet kept there by the unexpected warmth. He looked to be middle aged, but he really could have been much older. His expression was hard to tell, as it was with most youkai. And the power resonating from him was greater than anyone assembled there.  
  
Sesshomaru and Myouga were holding their breaths at the sight presented to them.. Whatever they thought they had seen separately…was in front of them.   
  
The youkai walked slowly over towards them. "Some distant part of me had hoped that the two of you would have learned to get along with each other. But I guess I should have know better, eh? Inuyasha, you were too young and you, Sesshomaru, were too set in your ways even for someone as young as you were," the youkai said. His gaze fell onto Rin. "Yet I see there's still hope for you."  
  
"Wait a second! How did you know my name? And his for that matter?" Inuyasha said. There was something disturbingly familiar about this guy.  
  
The stranger stopped a little in front of them and stared.  
  
Myouga made the jump from Inuyasha's shoulder to the other youkai's. "Please for give him, sir. He doesn't realize what he's saying!"  
  
The youkai looked down at the flea. And he smiled. "Please, Myouga. Give some credit. I never really expected the boy to remember me. He was still an infant when I died. But I'm glad that he was able to retrieve Tetsusaiga." He reached out and put his right hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "I'm glad that you were able to make use of it," he said  
  
Inuyasha could smell that this guy was a dog-youkai, like his father and older brother. Then an idea slowly emerged in his mind. It seemed outrageous but it might explain a lot. Slowly, he removed the hand and looked at the fingers closely. He sighed, all the claws were still there. None of them were missing from binding a dragon-youkai to a mountain wall.  
  
The youkai chuckled. "Wrong hand, Inuyasha," he said. He held up his left hand and Inuyasha saw that the claw on the left pointer finger was broken off at tip.  
  
Inuyasha gasped and stepped back. The shock was so overwhelming that his body swayed. Fortunately, Juanyu was there to steady him and stop him from fainting.  
  
"Inuyasha, who is he? Do you know him?"  
  
Inuyasha nodded. "Yes. He's my father."  
  
******  
  
Hikaru walked further along the trail the voice was leading her on. She still had no idea who was calling her; but she figured out a few things. First, it was definitely a woman speaking. Second, she doubted that whomever it was wanted to cause her any harm; if he or she did, they would have done so by now. Third, she was getting close, the voice was getting louder and less mysterious.  
  
And yet through all of this, she hadn't any sign of Inuyasha, Juanyu, or Myouga. The miko was really getting worried about them. She knew that they must have realized that they had gotten separated by now. Hikaru hoped that whatever was guiding her wouldn't try to harm them.  
  
Soon Hikaru came out of the forest into a neglected garden. By the looks of things, no one had lived here for many years. The same could be said of the manor the garden edged on. Hikaru had no idea where to go next when a light showed up in one of the ground floor rooms.  
  
She stepped forward and stepped up onto the walkway that must run the whole building. The door slid open in front of her.  
  
"Oh, you're here! I'm so glad that you came, Hikaru. Please come in, I managed to get some tea made for us," her apparent hostess said. She was a woman older than Hikaru but hadn't any gray hair yet. Her clothes were very fine and looked richly made. Hikaru could see lines of sadness edging her face but the relief in her eyes was doing a good job combating that. And Hikaru saw the beauty still upon her.  
  
"Thank you, ma'am. But may I ask, how did you know my name and that I would be in the forest?"  
  
"I can answer some of that. But first have some tea," the woman replied. She poured the tea and served Hikaru graciously.   
  
The miko took her cup and sipped carefully for the brew was hot. She liked the tea that was served here. It was much better than anything they tried to pass from back on the island. They sat in silence for a few minutes, Hikaru waiting and grateful to rest her feet while the woman looking at her.  
  
Eventually, Hikaru couldn't wait any longer and the staring was getting at her. She set done her cup and tried to think of a way to approach this without being rude.  
  
"Um, ma'am, I'm grateful for the tea and the chance to rest. But you haven't answered my question," she stated.  
  
The woman looked up in surprise and laughed to herself. "I'm sorry, child. I didn't mean to be rude. But I have waited for so long for this moment that now it is here, everything I thought to say to you has slipped my mind. I don't know where to begin.  
  
"But you're right. I haven't answered your question and it also seems like just a good beginning as any. Now, please have patience and bear with me. What I'm going to say may seem unbelievable but I assure you that it true."  
  
"All right, I can agree with that," Hikaru said. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach. This whole situation was weird. Had this woman really been waiting for her this entire time. Why though?  
  
The woman sighed with relief. "Thank you. The reason I know your name is because I'm the one who gave it to you. Hikaru, I'm your mother."  
  
******  
  
"Your father?" Juanyu said.  
  
Inutaisho nodded. "Indeed I am. Although I died many years ago, I've been allowed to come back to see both of you," he said.  
  
"Why?" Sesshomaru asked. Why was his father back now? And why did it have to include his stinking half-brother?  
  
"I'm here to explain something to the both of you that affects your lives very much. It concerns your sister."  
  
"What do you mean it concerns Hikaru?" Sesshomaru said.  
  
For a moment, Inuyasha thought that his older brother was referring to his missing friend. Then he remembered that Hikaru was also the name of his younger sister.  
  
"Yeah, isn't she dead?" Inuyasha added.  
  
Inutaisho looked confused. "Dead? What do you mean, Inuyasha?"  
  
"Myouga told me that my imooto died on the night she was born," Inuyasha said.  
  
++ 'imooto' means younger sister.  
  
The youkai took Myouga from his shoulder and held him in the palm of his hand. "Is this true, Myouga?"  
  
The flea nodded.  
  
There was a squishing sound as Inutaisho flattened the flea-youkai between his tow hands. Inuyasha looked shocked. He thought that he was the only one who did that.  
  
"I'm sorry that both of you were unknowingly misled by Myouga. I can assure you that your sister didn't die that night."  
  
His two sons looked at him. "What do you mean?" Sesshomaru asked. Something in him already guessed the answer but he wanted to hear it from Inutaisho.  
  
He smiled, "Your sister, Hikaru, is alive and well. And the reason I was allowed to come back tonight is to reunite the three of you together." 


	16. The Deal

"You're my mother? Really? But then why did and you and my father give me up?" Hikaru said in a rush. When this woman first told her that she was the miko's mother, she found hard to believe it. But the more Hikaru thought of it, the more she believed it. The hanyou realized that on the nights that she turned human, she looked like a younger version of the woman in front of her.  
  
The woman's eyes lit up and grasped Hikaru's hands. "Oh, I'm so glad that you believe me. I thought that you wouldn't, my dear daughter. And as for giving you up…my dearest darling, we had no choice. We were forced to surrender you on the night that you were born. We never wanted to lose you. We had such plans, of raising both you and your brother," she said.  
  
"My brother! Tell me about him, please, haha-ue," Hikaru pleaded.  
  
++ 'haha-ue' means mom.  
  
Her mother laughed, "I can do better than that my dear. I can introduce you to both of your brothers!"  
  
Of course, she had two brothers. Hikaru had forgotten for a moment. Another tidbit of information also raised its head. It was something that her guardian had told her about the time she left.  
  
"Haha-ue, how can you be here? I was told that both you and chichi-ue had died," she asked.  
  
++ 'chichi-ue' means dad.  
  
Her mother looked sad. "Yes, we had," she said, "But have been allowed to come back here to reunite our family. And to explain what had happened all those years ago."  
  
******  
  
"Our sister is alive," Sesshomaru said. He couldn't believe it. He could remember the day of her birth and the day afterward when he heard from Myouga that the babe was now gone.   
  
"How?" he demanded. There had to be some explanation. He refused to believe otherwise.  
  
Inutaisho sighed. "It is quite a story. The day that Hikaru was born I was joyous to discover that I now had a daughter. I doubted that any youkai could have been happier that day than I was. Also, Toutousai had arrived with the swords that I had asked him to make. Each of them was beautifully made and he had followed my instructions exactly."  
  
"Yes, I remember that. I was there when she was born. You had asked that I show up here because you said that you had some business with me. Shortly after I arrived you called me in and gave me Tenseiga. During that, a human servant came in and said that your second wife had just given birth. I have to admit that I was surprised to find out that you were having another child by this woman," Sesshomaru said.  
  
Inutaisho nodded, "Yes and I remember that you were looked disgusted when you saw her, just like when your brother was born.  
  
"Inuyasha, you were only a babe yourself when she was born, bit even then you showed your affection towards her and protective stance. It touched my heart to see that. Anyway, that night we had Hikaru sleeping in a small basket near our bed for when she needed us…  
  
******  
  
Flashback  
  
Inutaisho gazed at his baby daughter again. She was sleeping peacefully in her basket by the bed. He had hoped that she would look like her brothers but her silky brown ears betrayed what color her hair would be later on. The babe still had the family eyes, a beautiful gold that shined with curiosity and wonder.   
  
He was proud to have a pair of strong, healthy sons but there was something about now having a daughter that made him feel prouder than usual. He believed that the future was bright and shiny for all of his children. Especially now that the swords had been delivered. Toutousai had really out done himself with them. They were what he had asked for and more. He wasn't worried about his hanyou children learning how to use them; it was Sesshomaru and Tenseiga that bothered him. He had never seen the boy so saddened and closed-hearted before. Inutaisho decided to try to talk to his eldest son.  
  
Next to him, his wife was settling in with the baby next to her. Her face was pale from the delivery earlier that day, but both she and their new daughter were as healthy as he could hope. He was about to blow out the candle when he sensed someone else in the room with him and his family. He tensed and saw that the door to their room was open even though it had been closed a moment ago.  
  
"Wife, grab the baby," he whispered.  
  
She looked up at him scared and did what he said. The baby murmured a little as she was lifted from her bed but quieted down when she was close to her mother's breast. Hearing the rhythm of her mother's heart had a calming effect on her.  
  
Inutaisho took a defensive position between the door and his wife and daughter. He was determined that no one would harm either of them.  
  
"You have nothing to fear from me, Inutaisho. I am here to in fact to save your daughter," a voice said. Wind blew through the door and the dog-youkai could smell sand, ashes, and signed feathers. It was the most curious mixture of smells he had ever encountered.  
  
"Who are you? What do you want? Show yourself!" he demanded. He hoped that the bravado he had forced into his voice sounded genuine. The power he could sense was incredible. He could almost swear that this stranger was even stronger than a dai-youkai.  
  
And then she stepped into view. She looked like she was some sort of bird-youkai or hanyou. Her feet were the same as any raptor's up to her knees. From there he caught a glimpse of human flesh but it was mostly covered by a loose skirt of a red leathery material. Her bodice seemed to be made out of the same material. Her skin was pale as any human he had seen but at the same time, hardened and weathered from over the years. A pair of bright red wings came from her back and they looked large enough for her to use. Golden bracers covered her forearms and he saw that her nails were painted a golden red. Her hair was a bright red like her wings with orange-gold highlights. Her eyes were a deep, cold green with the lids half closed and the rest of her face was passive. He could see a feathery tail that skimmed the floor.  
  
"Who are you?" he repeated. There was something about the way that she looked at the three of them that worried him.   
  
"Who I am is not really important right now. What is important is that your daughter comes with me now," she replied.  
  
Inutaisho was outraged. "How dare you!" he growled. "How dare you come in barge in here and demand my newborn daughter. You will leave now."  
  
"Not without the child."  
  
"Over my dead body!" he yelled and lunged forward to attack.   
  
The woman simply raised her hand. The youkai's body stopped frozen in midair. He was unable to move any part of his body. However he had trouble breathing at all.  
  
"It is not my intention to kill you, Inutaisho. Nor do I wish to harm your wife and daughter. But the babe must come with me tonight," the stranger said. She moved past the youkai and stood in front of the babe and her mother.  
  
"Please, give her to me," she said gently.  
  
"No, no. I won't," the woman said bravely. "I'll die before I let you take her."  
  
The stranger looked sad and hung her head. "That is what you do not understand. Neither of you will live to see Inuyasha and the girl reach adulthood."  
  
"Is…th-that…a…thr-threat?" Inutaisho managed to get out through his clenched teeth.  
  
The stranger shook her head. "No, no threat. Just a fact. Neither will live to see them grown. And if the girl does not come with me, she will die."  
  
"Is that another fact of yours," the mother cried. Tears were welling up in her eyes. She didn't want to believe this woman, but something inside of her said to trust her. She was feeling so confused.  
  
"A possibility. But it will become fact if I do not leave with the girl," was the answer.  
  
The baby woke up and began to cry. Her screams sounded like she wanted to voice her opinion about this whole situation to their ears. Quickly, her mother began to try to soothe the baby. But how could she expect to calm her daughter when her own heart was racing?  
  
"You may go on and feed her. She is hungry," the stranger said. Wordlessly the human complied.  
  
"Inutaisho-sama, please understand. I mean no disrespect to you or your family. However this has to be done. This is for your daughter's own good. Also if I could, I would let her stay here. Alas, the decision is not mine to make. Please, let the girl come with me," she said.  
  
The human finished feeding her daughter and stood up. "Can you guarantee me that whomever your taking her to will take good care of her?" she asked.  
  
The woman nodded. "The best that they can."  
  
"Can we give her anything to remember us?"  
  
"Have you named her yet?"  
  
"Well, no…"  
  
"Then you can give her a name."  
  
The human held her child close and looked into the golden eyes that seemed to be a family trait. She didn't want to lose her daughter. But if what this stranger was saying was true, then it would be better if the baby did go tonight. The baby was such a bright light in her life. Light…  
  
"Her name is Hikaru," she said. "That is a good name."  
  
The stranger and carefully took a squirming Hikaru into her arms. "Yes, that is indeed a good name." She then turned and started back out. At the doorway she stopped, turned and faced the couple again.  
  
"A few last things before I go. No one else is to know about this. Absolutely no one, not even Hikaru's brothers. Anyone who knew about the birth should be told something to explain her sudden disappearance, I will leave it to you to decide something. Do not tell anyone who does not know. The fewer people who know, the better. I know that you may hate me for this but it is the best for the girl's future. And don't worry. One day she will return and know her family."  
  
And with that the stranger left carrying Hikaru with her. Inutaisho fell to the floor as the spell that had him suspended in the air ended.   
  
******  
  
"And so we spent the rest of the night in each other's arms and crying. The next morning we told everyone that you were simply gone. We left it to them on how to interpret it. We couldn't lie to them but we couldn't tell them the truth either," she said.  
  
"Well not at least the whole, complete truth. And in some ways that was the worse lie," Hikaru commented. Her mother looked up at her words. She explained, "All that you and chichi-ue did was to tell them a half truth. One of my teachers said that the best lie was to say a half truth. Just not the whole truth."  
  
Her mother smiled. "You have not wasted your learning, dear. You are as wise as any mother could have hoped for their child."  
  
"What happened to you and chichi-ue?" Hikaru asked with a sinking heart.  
  
The woman sighed, "A few months after you were born, he was killed in battle. I died a few years later when your brother was a small child."  
  
"I guess that the stranger knew that," Hikaru mused, "she understood that when both of you left this world we would be too young to survive on our own for long. At least with me gone, it made it easier for my ani."  
  
++ remember that 'ani' means older brother.  
  
Her mother nodded. "Neither of us had realized it that time, Hikaru. But the stranger was right. We didn't live long enough to see you and your brothers grown. But tonight we can finally see all of you."  
  
"When? When do I get to see my brothers?"  
  
"Quite soon, my child," she replied.  
  
******  
  
"She's really alive," Inuyasha said.  
  
Inutaisho nodded. "For most of her life, she has been living on an island being raised by humans. Hikaru had no concept for youkai until she returned here not too long ago. Things have been arranged that she is here tonight as well," he said.  
  
"Where?"  
  
The youkai looked towards the manor. "Let's go inside, my sons. We'll be more comfortable sitting in there."  
  
"But…hey, wait a minute!" Inuyasha sputtered.  
  
"My dear hanyou. Don't you want to see your mother again?" his father said. With that he smiled and started walking.  
  
Inuyasha was speechless. His mother, here? Well it made sense, if his father was here, then his mother would be here too. Neither of them had seen Hikaru since she as taken and Inuyasha didn't' have any memories of his father. Wordlessly he followed his father to the manor.  
  
Sesshomaru was silent. His little sister, alive after all this time. Part of him was relieved to know that she hadn't died, another was outraged to know that he had been tricked by his father and that the hanyou girl was indeed alive. And yet there was a part of him that was nervous about meeting her for the first time. There was also questions that assailed him in his mind as he went to the manor.   
  
What would this girl be like? How different from them would she be? How would she react to her brothers?  
  
These were questions that assailed both Inuyasha's and Sesshomaru's minds.   
  
*******  
  
"How much longer do we have to wait?" Hikaru asked impatiently. For most of her life, she had been waiting for this moment. And now that it was coming, she was both impatient for it to come and afraid that it would. Questions about her brothers whirled about in her mind. She tried to perform some of the calming techniques that she had learned at the feet of her teachers. But they had little effect on her rapidly beating heart.  
  
"Don't worry, daughter. They'll be here soon with your father."  
  
"My father?"  
  
"Yes, they are all out there. Your father is preparing them for the meeting and explaining everything just I am you. They should be here any minute now."  
  
Just then Inutaisho stepped up onto the walkway and called out, "My beloved, we're here. Is everything ready?"  
  
From inside, she called out that they were ready. The youkai waited until his sons had stepped up as well before opening the door.  
  
Whatever Inuyasha had been expecting, it certainly wasn't to see the Hikaru he had been traveling with sitting with his mother with the same look of shock on her face as on his.  
  
"You? You're my imooto?" he sputtered out.  
  
"Oh, you two already know each other? That's wonderful," their mother said. She looked pleased that her children were already acquainted with each other.  
  
Hikaru looked surprised for a moment. Then she stood up, came around table and stood in front of the men. She smiled and threw her arms around Inuyasha. "You're my brother? This is great!" she cried out joyfully. "I'm so glad!"  
  
Behind Inuyasha, Juanyu was standing in shock. Inuyasha was Hikaru-san's older brother. Wow. This changes a lot.  
  
Hikaru eventually let go of Inuyasha and faced Sesshomaru. "And you must be my other brother. It is so wonderful to finally meet you. I've waited so long for this," she said. She moved to hug him as well but he stepped back from her.  
  
"Don't touch me," he said.  
  
"Huh?" she was taken aback by his response to her.  
  
"What makes you think that I am at all pleased by your presence? I cannot believe that there is another hanyou in our family. With Inuyasha, it was tolerable. But another one? I am almost embarrassed to be a part of this family," he said. Sesshomaru turned and made to leave.  
  
"Hey! Sesshomaru, you big jerk! How can you say that? She's our sister! Don't you care at all?" Inuyasha yelled. He knew that his brother never was fond of humans, and hanyou only just less so. But he didn't think that he would actually act like this to Hikaru.  
  
"Sesshomaru, stop now!" their father ordered. His tone broached no disobedience.  
  
His oldest son stopped in his tracks. He could never go against his father's wishes when he used that tone. Reluctantly he turned back around and faced his father. "What is it that you want?"  
  
"I want you to stay here with me and the rest of the family for a bit," his father said softly. His face was sad. "Is that too much to ask of you?"  
  
"Apparently it is, father," he replied. "You have disgraced our family by siring a pair of hanyou and when you died, you left me with an useless sword!"  
  
"Is it so useless? Haven't you used its power at all? If you answer 'no' I will know that you are lying to me, son."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Because the swords were made from my fangs, I can tell when their power has been invoked. I know when you've used Tenseiga's resurrective powers. And it has been used at least two times by now," he said. He raised his head and looked into his son's eyes. "Please stay. There is so much that I didn't get the chance to tell you."  
  
"And besides, there is more to come," a voice said. Everyone wheeled to see a strange woman in the room with the human woman. She looked like a youkai but her youki was all wrong. Inutaisho growled and walked into the room. He marched right up to the stranger and glared at her evenly. Yet the others could tell by his stance that he was also afraid of the woman.  
  
"What are you doing here? Isn't it enough that you tore my family apart? Now you come and interrupt our reunion?" he said in a low, menacing voice.  
  
"Yes, I know that I am the responsible for your daughter's disappearance. And I say to again that I had no choice in the matter. Forces greater than mine ordered me to do it," she said.  
  
"Father, it wasn't that bad for me growing up. The people who took care of me were good people and I learned a lot from them. It is because of them that I learned how to be a good priestess," she said hurriedly. She guessed that this was the same woman that had taken her. The smell was right for it. And if that was true, then it was not a good idea for her to get angry.  
  
Everyone but Juanyu, Inuyasha, Myouga, and the stranger looked surprised. "Priestess?" her father said.  
  
"Indeed, Inutaisho. Your daughter was born with houriki. Because of this, she could not stay here in Japan. She needed to be trained elsewhere in a place where the prejudices between humans and youkai did not exist. That is the primary reason why I had to take her," the stranger said. She sat at the table and helped herself to some of the still warm tea.  
  
"I did not tell you my name before but I will now. I am called Phoenix. I do the work that is deemed necessary by the greater powers. They were the ones that instructed me to take the baby Hikaru from you and your wife to some place where her houriki would be nurtured and developed. After she had arrived here, I managed to arrange for a fish youkai to bring Inuyasha to his sister. Things took off better there than I thought. I did not want his friends to lose hope in him. So kept the hope in his survival strong despite logic and the odds. Doing something like that is one of my specialties. I was also the one who allowed you and your human wife to come back here tonight. And I have a proposition to make to all of you."  
  
"And that would be?"  
  
The Phoenix sipped her tea calmly and set down her cup. "How you all like a chance to live, only for a brief time, as the family you should have been?"  
  
**********  
  
Okay, it was obvious from the start what I was going to do. And for those of you who didn't see this coming…I'm not going to say anything. My editor has mentioned something about my lack of subtlety when it comes to my foreshadowing. Well, I promise all of you, my loyal readers, and him that I'll get better at it. ;-) 


	17. Day One

The room was silent. The Phoenix's proposal had all of them stunned.  
  
"What do you mean by the family we should have been?" Inutaisho finally said.  
  
"I can give you three days and three nights together as if you were a real family. As if Hikaru had never been taken and Inutaisho had not been killed by Ryukotsusei. A chance to be a real family," she said. "The children will be children and the parents will still be alive. And it will just be the family, no one else will be present," was added.  
  
Inuyasha was stunned beyond words. A family, a real one? To spend some time as if all those years of being alone hadn't happened. For Mother to be alive again. It was sounding wonderful to him.  
  
Hikaru was surprised. She had been told that her parents were dead. Over time, she had gotten use to the idea that she would never know them first hand. But here was a chance to change all that. And to spend a few extra days of her childhood with her parents and brothers? Why not?  
  
Sesshomaru was also stunned. To be able to spend some extra time with his father; it did sound great. But why? There was nothing for him to gain from this. And it would all be over in a few days anyway. Why bother with the mirage? No, no he would not go along with this. Not for anything.  
  
"What say all of you? Are you willing to do this?" Phoenix asked.  
  
Inutaisho and his second wife immediately agreed. They wanted to the chance to spend time with their children. Then Inuyasha and Hikaru said yes as well. But Sesshomaru declined.  
  
"I don't want any part of this," he said and left the room. Behind him everyone was stunned by his reaction, even the Phoenix. Hikaru ran out after him.  
  
"Nii-san! Wait a minute! Please, give me a chance to talk to you!" she cried out.  
  
++ 'nii-san' means older brother in a respectful tone.  
  
If only for curiosity's sake did Sesshomaru stop. That and there was something in her voice that called out to him. Turning around, "Yes, what is it?"  
  
Hikaru stopped a few paces in front of him gasping a little for breath. "Why? Why don't you want to do this?"  
  
"Because it doesn't matter, that's why. So we get to spend a few days pretending that nothing has happened to us or our family. It ends after three days and nights. So why bother?"  
  
"Then at least we get to have spent that time with them. Look, unlike you and Inuyasha, I don't have any memories of either of my parents. So what if the spell ends and they're dead again? I will have something to remember them. A few moments is just enough for me, thank you," she said angrily.  
  
Sesshomaru was taken aback. She was willing to do this, even though she was aware that it would be a farce. He saw something in her eyes that was calling out to him. She was begging to him to do this with the others. He still didn't understand why. "I still don't see what this has to do with me. I don't have to agree with this in order for it to work," he replied.  
  
"No, no you don't" she agreed, "but it would be nice if you did. And besides, Father did say that there were some things that he wanted to tell you. This may be the only chance you'll get to find out what they are."  
  
Dammit, she was right. He was curious to know what Father had been wanting to say to him for all these years. So in the end, he bowed his head and returned with her to the manor. There the family was gathered around the table with the Phoenix while the rest were sitting against the far wall.  
  
"Good, you have changed your mind then?" the Phoenix inquired. Sesshomaru nodded. She clapped her hands together in delight. "Wonderful! I was dreading that you would be stubborn enough not to go through this. But now that you are, we can get started." She instructed all of them to sit around the table. To the others she told them that there was a cave nearby equipped with any supplies that they might need. Jaken and Myouga protested. They believed that they had every right to be a part of the spell too.  
  
"Myouga, go with young Juanyu. I don't think that you will be needed here," Inutaisho ordered.  
  
"Jaken, I'm leaving Rin's safety in your hands. Don't fail me," was enough to quiet Jaken.  
  
After the followers had all left, the Phoenix continued. She had them all close their eyes and clear their minds. Then she began to chant in a language that none of them knew. Gradually they all began to feel very sleepy and heavy-headed…  
  
******  
  
"Inuyasha! Hikaru! It's time to get up!" Mother said.  
  
From within the room, Inuyasha groaned and wiggled further underneath the covers. He had no desire to get up. He was still sleepy.  
  
Beside him, little Hikaru opened her eyes and sat up in bed. She didn't want to get up either but Mommy was calling for her and nii-chan. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. The six-year-old hanyou crawled out of her bed and saw that Inuyasha was still in bed, the old sleepyhead. But Sesshomaru wasn't there. Nii-san must have gotten up earlier than the rest of them. He was probably waiting with Mommy and Daddy for them to eat breakfast.  
  
Quietly she crept over to nii-chan's bed and lowered the covers enough to see one of his ears. She could her him breathing softly as he slept on. Taking a deep breath she bent closer to his head. Then with one hand she grabbed the ear and pulled. And she got the reaction that she wanted.  
  
"Aaaagghh!" he screamed. She jumped back from him as Inuyasha sat up, rubbing his ear. When he saw her, he growled and pounced. Hikaru dodged and ran out of the room on all fours. Not too far behind, Inuyasha followed.  
  
******  
  
Downstairs, a teenage Sesshomaru was rubbing his left arm. It stung a little bit, like he had bumped it somewhere or it had fallen asleep. He didn't know why it felt strange for his arm to be there, but it did. Next to him, Inutaisho was sitting with a great air of patience. On the table before them was a breakfast large enough for five. Sesshomaru's stepmother had gone out to fetch the hanyou brats.  
  
"Sesshomaru, I know that you have no liking for human food, but please just this once will you be polite and at least try some?" Inutaisho asked. His son made no reply and he sighed with the implied answer. Some things would never change.  
  
He heard multiple footsteps running down the hall. He stood up and opened the door. Just outside was his wife and he turned to look in the direction that she was. He could see what the noise was. Inuyasha was chasing his imooto, both of them down on all fours.  
  
Hikaru hurried when she saw her mother and hide behind her legs. Inuyasha managed not to run into Mother and made an abrupt stop a foot in front of her.  
  
"Inuyasha! What are you doing? Why are you chasing your sister?" she demanded.  
  
From behind her Hikaru piqued up, "I only woke nii-chan up for breakfast, Mama."  
  
"Yeah, by pulling on my ear!" Inuyasha protested.  
  
Their mother scooped Hikaru into her arms. "Hikaru, that was not a very nice thing to do to Inuyasha. In the future, if you want to wake him up for anything please find another way, all right?"  
  
Hikaru nodded and murmured agreement. Inuyasha was briefly scolded for chasing his sister and ignoring his mother when she was calling for him. After that they went into the room to join Sesshomaru and Inutaisho for breakfast.  
  
Later that morning, all the worries and troubles from earlier were forgotten as Inuyasha and Hikaru played ball outside in the garden. They were having a grand time, kicking the ball around, screaming with delight. Inutaisho envied the youthful innocence. Because of the spell, none of the children would remember what the future would be. But the youkai and his wife would since they would be returning to the lands of the dead. So it was with great joy and peace that he saw his hanyou children play carelessly.   
  
He heard Sesshomaru walking without glancing at his younger siblings and would have passed on by if Inutaisho hadn't called out to him. "Sesshomaru, there you are. I was hoping that you would join me here for a moment," he said.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because it is long past due for the two of us to talk. And right here is a good enough place as somewhere else," he replied.  
  
Sesshomaru gave the sigh that all teenagers give to their parents when they are forced to undergo something that they would rather wish not to. He sat down by his father's side and said nothing. He wanted Father to start this discussion off. But his father was content to sit for a few minutes in quiet and watch the hanyou play with each other.  
  
Finally he gave in and said something. "Father, I have been meaning to ask you, why did you have Toutousai make Tenseiga for me? Why not a sword that I can actually use like he made for them?" he waved to Inuyasha and Hikaru.  
  
His father was silent for a few minutes, in thought. How could he explain to Sesshomaru his motives behind giving him the Tenseiga? He sighed, this was going to be tough. Laughter brought him out of his thoughts and unto Inuyasha and Hikaru. They had stopped playing with the ball and were simply rolling, tumbling, and spinning around on the grass. A new laugh came in as their mother joined in on their fun. He smiled and realized that he had gotten in idea.  
  
"Listen to me carefully, son. Listen and remember my words, all though you might not understand them now. The main reason that I wish for you to have Tenseiga was so that you could dance before you have forgotten how," he said.  
  
++ he couldn't get more cryptic than that, could he? (kudos to anyone who can tell me where I'm pulling this from.)  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Look at Inuyasha and Hikaru, they knew how to dance even before they learned how to crawl. Now they dance with every breath that they take. I want the same happiness and joy for you, Sesshomaru," he said. He laughed at his son's confused expression. "Let me see if I can explain this better. For Tenseiga to truly be effective, it needs to be wielded by someone with a caring heart. I want you to learn to care, my son. You have let your heart get too cold lately."  
  
"And what's wrong with that?" Sesshomaru demanded.  
  
Inutaisho looked sad, "I just don't want you to be like others of our kind. Cold hearted, power hungry, no regard for others, and doomed to a life of pettiness and loneliness. And in most likelihood you will be killed by another youkai determined to prove that he or she is more powerful than you are. That is if you aren't killed by the exterminators first.  
  
"As for Inuyasha and Hikaru, well, they'll need the power of their swords in order to survive. They are not as powerful as you or I are."  
  
Sesshomaru stood up, "Thank goodness for that. Father, I don't understand why you love them so much. They're just hanyou!"  
  
"Yes, that they are. But they are also my children, just as you are," he replied.  
  
Sesshomaru said nothing but instead walked away. Inutaisho sighed. He felt that he had gotten no where with his son. And that was probably true. The boy could be thick headed and stubborn when he wanted to be. Sesshomaru couldn't understand that he loved them all equally. His son thought that he had Inuyasha and Hikaru because he didn't love him. But that wasn't true at all. He stood and saw that the rest of the family were happily playing. He went and joined them.  
  
Sesshomaru stood on the shadows of the corner and watched as his father went and joined the others in the garden. A stab of sadness went into his heart with traces of jealous. Father did love those hanyou more than he loved his eldest, true youkai son! But why? What had he done to lose his father's love? He had spent hours searching his memory for the answer but couldn't find any. It was a mystery to him. So his anger at his younger siblings grew. He left claws mark in the wood as he turned around and continued walking away.  
  
******  
  
The day waned with clouds gathering in the sky. A wonderful storm promised to give its performance that night. Inutaisho told his children that it would be wise if they spent the afternoon in their room. And that it would be best if they went straight to bed after dinner. The storm was bringing an early twilight and he didn't want the children, especially Inuyasha and Hikaru, out in this kind of weather.  
  
Hikaru looked scared. "I hope that there won't be any thunder," she said. The little girl hugged her knees and shivered. "All that loud noise scares me, Papa."  
  
He smiled fondly and rubbed her back. "Don't worry, Hikaru. The thunder has no chance of getting you while you're inside," he said. That seemed to soften her fears somewhat but a bit still remained.  
  
Lunch was a quiet meal as the wind became still and night fell. Sesshomaru still wouldn't eat any of the offered food but his father ignored this bit of rebellion and ate his calmly. The hanyou ate as well, and were a little messy in the process. Their mother scolded them for their table manners but happily cleaned them up.  
  
All the children shared the same bed room, much to Sesshomaru's chagrin. He wanted a room to himself, but his father insisted that he share with the hanyou. His father did ask that he also watch the hanyou and make sure that they didn't get into trouble. This soured Sesshomaru's mood more; but he said nothing. And so the house settled down to pass the time through the storm.  
  
******  
  
Or so it seemed…  
  
She waited until her brothers were absorbed in their own endeavors before sneaking quietly out of the room. What she was doing was going against what Father had said for her to do, but she had to. She had to do this, it was a surprise for nii-san. With the early darkness settling on the manor, lanterns were lit and hung up at regular intervals. It helped light her way to the garden pathway.   
  
On silent, bare feet, she crept down into the garden and beyond. She had to hurry. The storm might open and rain at any time. The girl needed to be quick.  
  
******  
  
Back in the room, Inuyasha watched his brother and wished that Sesshomaru would pay some attention to him. The young youkai had a habit of ignoring his younger siblings. No matter what he did, Sesshomaru never showed any approval. Why didn't his nii-san love him? He couldn't remember anything hat he had done that deserved this kind of treatment.  
  
Inuyasha was playing with his small, wooden soldiers on the floor. Hikaru had crept into her bed for a nap. And he was tired with playing by himself. His brother was sitting in a corner just doing nothing. He crawled over there holding one of his soldiers.  
  
"Sesshomaru? Do you want to play with me?" he asked.  
  
Sesshomaru was silent for a moment. Then he turned and looked at his younger brother. His gaze was stern and uncaring. He saw the soldier and took it into one hand. "Why would I want to waste my time on you?" he said. And then crushed the soldier in his hand. The splintered toy dropped to the floor in silence when Sesshomaru flipped over his hand.  
  
Inuyasha's eyes went wide with shock and a few tears spilled over. He quickly turned around and retreated to the rest of his toys. Nii-san didn't have to do that. All he could have said was 'no'. He didn't have to destroy one of his toys. He bit his lip to keep from crying out loud. He didn't want Sesshomaru to see him cry; not like this. Instead, he turned to the bundle that was his sister's sleeping form and gently shook it.  
  
"Hikaru? Do you want to play with me?" he said. He waited for her to wake up and answer, but there was nothing. After a moment, he repeated his question, much louder and shook more enthusiastically this time. Still nothing. He was getting annoyed. Hikaru wasn't usually like this. She never napped deeply and she often wanted to play with her older brothers. In frustration, Inuyasha ripped the blanket off. He intended to shout at Hikaru but the words died in his throat. Instead the hanyou turned to his youkai brother and gathered some different words.  
  
"Sessh…Sesshomaru," he stammered.  
  
The youkai sighed. "What do you want now, brat?"  
  
"I..it's Hikaru."  
  
"What about her?"  
  
"Sh…she's, she's…"  
  
"What is it, Inuyasha? Just say it for crying out loud!" Sesshomaru exclaimed. What was with the boy? He wasn't usually like this. His anger faded when his eyes fell unto Hikaru's bed. Where he had thought his sister had curled up to sleep was some blankets bundled into a child-size lump. His face paled.  
  
"She's gone," he whispered. 


	18. Family Matters

Hikaru walked on all fours through the thickening darkness, nose sniffing busily in the air. She knew that they had to be around here somewhere. The girl had seen them earlier that day. After she had seen them, she had done her best to remember what their scent was. But the air now was so filled with the promise of rain that she was having difficulty finding it.   
  
She didn't want to hurry, but she was anyway. The storm was going to come down any minute now; not to mention that her brothers might notice her gone soon. So she picked up her search and continued onward.  
  
******  
  
Inuyasha dug further into the pile of blankets that was Hikaru's bed. She had to be here, she had to be. There was no way that imooto could have snuck out on them, could there?  
  
++ 'imooto' means little sister.  
  
Meanwhile, Sesshomaru was stewing in his corner. How could this have happened? How did that little girl child get out without either of them noticing until now? He couldn't answer those questions, but he did know one thing. If anything happened to her, Father would blame it on him. With a sigh he realized that he had no choice but to go out and find Hikaru. And hopefully before the storm decided to start.  
  
He stood and left the room. "Stay here, Inuyasha. I don't want to have to look for you as well!" he shouted over his shoulder.   
  
The hanyou emerged from where he was and stared after his nii-san. He wanted to look for Hikaru too, but Sesshomaru said to stay in the room. And his tone didn't sound like it wanted to be disobeyed. He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. He had no choice but to stay here and wait until they both got back.  
  
"Inuyasha? Hikaru? What's going on here?"  
  
Inuyasha sat up straight. It was Father. He must have seen Sesshomaru leave. Gulping he answered, "I'm in here, Father."  
  
Inutaisho entered the room with a curious look on his face. "What is going on here? I just saw Sesshomaru leave and he looked angered. Have either of you done anything to upset him?"  
  
Inuyasha knew that by the look on Father's face that he could not lie to him. So he blurted out the whole situation to him. The youkai was shocked to hear that his only daughter had managed to sneak out on her own without anyone the wiser. He was also upset that she had disobeyed him. He hung his head and sighed.   
  
"Inuyasha, stay here. I'm going out to help your brother find Hikaru. And that girl better have a damn good reason for doing this." He said and left the room.  
  
Inuyasha nodded and wrapped himself in the blankets. His sister's scent still clung to the fabric and it gave him some comfort. Father and nii-san would find her, he knew it! They had to.  
  
******  
  
Outside, the wind had grown to almost a howl; scattering the scents and lessening the chance of distinguishing Hikaru's scent from everywhere else. Sesshomaru grimaced. How in the hell was he suppose to track the foolish hanyou? He bent his head to keep his eyes from being watered by the high powered gale. Looking down, a thought occurred to him. He knelt on the ground and lowered his head until his nose was scant inches from the ground. After taking a few experimental sniffs, he smiled. Although the air and grass had given up Hikaru's scent to the winds, the ground itself held on to it stubbornly. Keeping low to the ground, the young youkai tracked his sister through the increasing darkness.  
  
******  
  
Not too far behind him, Inutaisho watched his son go out into the darkness. It touched him that Sesshomaru was actually making the effort to find his imooto; but he was disappointed that he hadn't told the older youkai. He didn't use his nose to try to pick up where his daughter was. The winds would have swept all away by now. Instead he focused on her youki. True, it would take longer to find her; she was so young. But in the end it would prove to be more accurate than just sniffing her out.   
  
It took him a few moments to locate her signature, her houriki and her youki were struggling with each other. But when he focused on that struggle, he found her with little trouble. With a determined expression, Inutaisho set out to bring his daughter home.  
  
******  
  
Hikaru huddled against a tree trunk to protect herself from the wind. The little hanyou had given up half way through her quest; too frightened and tired to continue on. But she was proud that she had been able to at least get this far. The wind had gotten stronger and scarier as she had worked. And now she was taking at least some refuge with the tree.   
  
From above her, lightning lit up the sky and an instant later, thunder bellowed in the dark. Hikaru screamed in fear and curled up into a little ball. She wished that she had never thought of this idea and had been a good little girl and stayed inside like Father wanted! She wanted Father and Mother right now; she was so scared.  
  
And as if someone had heard her wish, Inutaisho stepped out of the gloom right behind her. She looked so scared that he was for a moment touched and inclined to be easy in her for disobeying him. But he knew that she would receive some kind of punishment for going outside.   
  
Hikaru jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. A glance showed her that it was Father. She smiled with relief and joy at the sight of him and threw her arms around him in a big hug.  
  
"Oh, Father. I'm so sorry for not listening to you. But I had to do it, I…"  
  
"Hush, hush now, my child. You can tell me all about it after we get back inside," he said.  
  
He gathered her in his arms and stood. When he turned he saw Sesshomaru standing not too far off. His son must have found her shortly after he had. The young youkai's face was closed to him, he had no inkling what he could be thinking.  
  
He sighed. "Come on, let's get back to the manor before the skies open up on us and try to drown us," he called out. The wind was truly howling at the moment, he needed to raise his voice to be heard. Wordlessly his eldest fell into step with his parent and they headed back home. Both knew that an argument was waiting.  
  
On the way back, the heavens did open and drench all three of them thoroughly.  
  
******  
  
"I still don't understand what the big fuss is all about. The brat was found and brought back here safely," Sesshomaru said.   
  
The entire family was gathered in the children's room for this meeting. Inuyasha was sitting on Mother's left with Hikaru wrapped in a blanket in her lap. Father was sitting the other side and Sesshomaru was on the wall opposite of them.   
  
Inuyasha sat quietly. He didn't want to say anything which was all right, he had no idea what he could say to help things. Both Father and Sesshomaru were calm but nii-san's calm seemed so, forced. He was scaring the little hanyou.  
  
"Son, the point is that you should have come to me first before going out on your own. You could have gotten hurt looking for Hikaru. And if that happened, who would have been left to know where you had gone? Both of you could have gotten sick or died from the exposure from the elements outside! I cannot believe that you would be so irrespirable in such a manner, Sesshomaru," Inutaisho replied.  
  
"So you were really worried about both of us, Father?"  
  
The youkai did not like where he thought that this discussion was going. There was something in his son's voice which disturbed him. It gave him an ominous feeling that could only get worse.  
  
"Or, were you more worried about that thing in your woman's lap?"  
  
It did get worse.  
  
"Sesshomaru! How can you ask your father such a question? And how can you say that about your sister? Of course he was worried about you both!" Mother replied.  
  
Sesshomaru's voiced quivered as he spoke, "Don't you dare talk to me, human wench. You may be my father's mate but you can never be a member of our noble family."  
  
"Sesshomaru!"  
  
He ignored the voice. It seemed that all the rage that had been pent up in him had decided to come out. "Your children are nothing more than hanyou, half-breeds. Although they share some of the same blood as mine, it has been tainted by your human waste."  
  
Mother went speechless while her children gasped and shrunk up against her for protection. Inutaisho had lost his calm demeanor and was on the verge of anger. Inside he begged his son to be quiet.  
  
But the young youkai wasn't through yet. He now turned his attention to Inuyasha and Hikaru. "And you two. Hanyou are the worst lot. They belong neither amongst humans or youkai." His eyes narrowed to mere slits. "It probably would have been better for the both of you if you were never born. Then our family's bloodline would have remained pure." At hearing these words, they whimpered and nestled against their mother for comfort.  
  
"That's enough, Sesshomaru. You have gone too far now." Inutaisho shouted as he slammed his fists to the floor and half-stood up. Rage and anger was written all over his face. Son or not, the boy had gone too far; it was one thing to criticize Inutaisho and his second wife. It was quite another to do insult the hanyou children.  
  
Sesshomaru stood as well. Anger and hurt were on his features. Apparently he had decided to drop all pretense and state what he thought was the truth. "Oh, so I can what I want about you but I can't talk about that human and her offspring? Why not? What's so special about those damn hanyou?" he shouted.   
  
Hikaru thought that she could see tears in his eyes. But she wasn't sure about it.   
  
"They are my children, just as you are, Sesshomaru. I would be just as angered if someone started insulting you!" Inutaisho insisted. He tried to make his voice sound earnest and sincere, but he didn't know if that would get through.  
  
"Now, why don't I believe you? Oh, maybe it's because you favor them over me," he replied; his voice laced with sarcastic tones. There was also something in it that gave the youkai pause. Whatever it was, was tugging at him.  
  
"Sesshomaru, I don't understand. Son, what are you saying?"  
  
"What am I saying?" he echoed. There was an edge of hysteria in his voice. "I'm finally saying the truth, Father. That's what I'm saying. And the truth is: you love those hanyou more than me! You had them with this human wench because you don't love me!" he shouted pointing an accusing finger at both Inuyasha and Hikaru. With that done he rushed out the door leaving a stunned audience behind.  
  
Inutaisho sat down with a thud and sigh. He had suspected how Sesshomaru felt about his younger siblings for a while now; but he never thought that his eldest would actually come out and say it. What will happen now?  
  
******  
  
Sesshomaru didn't go far when he had stormed out of the family meeting. There were indeed rare tears in his eyes and he couldn't see clearly through them. The young youkai found and empty room and sequestered himself inside. Only in the darkness of the storm and the noise of its voice did he allow the tears to flow. He was a mixture of emotions. Anger, sorrow, and shame assaulted him all at once. How could he be reacting like this? Sesshomaru thought that he shouldn't be crying like some weak human. He was supposed to be strong, such as some of the other youkai he knew of.   
  
But, a voice inside him said, your father seemed to prefer the weak humans over some of his own kind. And why is that?  
  
Nothing resembling an answer came to mind. After a few uneasy minutes, he fell into a doze. He awoke to the whispers of the hanyou and the dripping of water off the tiles since the storm had passed. Looking outside, he could make out snatches of night sky from holes in the clouds. Night had truly fallen.  
  
Curious, he crept to the room where Inuyasha and Hikaru where and listened to them talk. Inside he could see Hikaru still wrapped in her bed with Inuyasha next to her. On the floor in front of them were Inuyasha's toy soldiers.  
  
******  
  
"Do you think that he'll be back soon, nii-chan?" Hikaru asked.  
  
Her brother shrugged. "I don't know."  
  
"Do you want him to come back, Inuyasha?"  
  
"I don't know." His voice was neutral and his expression. He played with his toys without really paying attention to them. Something seemed to be on his mind. His sister noticed this. She gently placed a hand on his arm and stilled him.  
  
"What's the matter, Inuyasha? Is something wrong?" she said.  
  
Inuyasha looked at her for a moment and slowly nodded. "Yeah, I think that you can say that. Have I ever told you before that there was a time that I wanted to be like Sesshomaru?" he replied.  
  
Her eyes went wide and shook her head. Outside, Sesshomaru let out a soft gasp. Never in his all his years would he have guessed that about Inuyasha. A small spot of pride swelled up in him. It was a big compliment to him to hear this.   
  
"You really want to be like nii-san? But…"  
  
"I said that I wanted to be like him, Hikaru. Not anymore. I never want to be like him!" Inuyasha interrupted.  
  
This statement took his siblings by surprised. Sesshomaru wondered what had happened recently to change this.  
  
"Inuyasha, what happened? Why don't you want to be like Sesshomaru anymore?"  
  
"I realized today how cold and mean he is. I wanted him to play with me, but he said no and crushed one of my soldiers. And earlier, he all but said that he hated us. I could never be like that; I don't want to," he explained.  
  
"But why would you want to be like him in the first place?"  
  
"Because he's strong, like Father is. I want to be strong."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"So I can protect you and Mother when Father isn't here. Sesshomaru won't do it; you know how much he likes to wander around. And sometimes Father has to go out to fight. Someone has to be here to protect the both of you." the hanyou said. His voice was very impassioned, up to the point where Sesshomaru was touched for a moment. The boy merely wanted to protect his family.   
  
And what do I want to protect, he wondered. Is there anything I'm willing to protect besides the family honor and pride. The question bothered him and he pushed it aside. Otooto and imooto where still talking.  
  
"Do you think that Father really loves us more than Sesshomaru, Hikaru?" Inuyasha asked. She had picked up a few of the soldiers and were playing quietly with him for a moment before replying.  
  
"No."  
  
"Why do you think that?"  
  
"Inuyasha, is there a soldier that you like better than all of the rest?" she countered.  
  
The comment caught him off guard. "What does my toys have to do with anything?" he demanded. He normally didn't angry at his sister this quickly, unless she had done something really bad to him. But the whole day had left him on edge.  
  
"Just answer the question, nii-chan," she said.  
  
He thought for a moment, looking at them all. It took him a moment to answer. "No, not really. I mean, they're all special to me. I guess I have to say that I like them the same," he said with a shrug. "Now tell me what does my toys have to do with the three of us and Father?" he repeated.  
  
She sighed. "It's simple. We're a lot like your soldiers. We each have our strengths and weaknesses, but Father sees us all in the same light. He's our father. Nothing can change that," she started. But she stopped when she saw the confused look on Inuyasha's face. She couldn't help but giggle a little.  
  
"Let me try something else," she offered. "Umm…remember the garden? All those beautiful flowers and trees?"  
  
He nodded somewhat. This seemed as random as asking about his soldiers. But he was willing to let her talk. "Yeah, it's really beautiful."  
  
"And does Mother have a favorite flower?"  
  
He thought for a moment, "Um, no. not really. She likes them all."  
  
"Exactly! We're like flowers. Each of us has his or her own talents and weaknesses. Yet Father loves us all despite it. It just that each of us needs some different care than the others. Nii-san doesn't understand that just because Father loves Mother and us, it doesn't mean that he loves Sesshomaru any less," she said.  
  
"Now, that I can sort of understand," Inuyasha reflected. And he did. But there was something else that was bothering him. "But, Hikaru, why where you outside earlier? You never told me."  
  
She gasped with remembrance and reached within her kimono. "I was outside getting a surprise for Sesshomaru. And I wanted to get them before the storm started. If I didn't then they would have been ruined!" she said. She brought out her hand and clutched within her grasp was some fresh, crushed flowers. There was enough fragrance left in them to tickle their noses. It was subtle but a good combination of smells. "I was going to give them to nii-san as a present. I saw him earlier and he didn't look too happy. I thought that these flowers would cheer him up."  
  
Outside, Sesshomaru sat down, deep in thought. So that was why she had gone out. It was for him. The little hanyou had been willing to risk herself to cheer him up. And Inuyasha had looked up at him as sort of a role model. But why? Why were they acting like this about him?  
  
Then it hit him. It was because he was their older brother. Part of that role was to act like a role model and friend for them. And their father, it never occurred to him that he loved all three of them. He did have to admit that their swords would help to protect them better. He had never thought of things that way. He had mainly been thinking about himself and his place in the family. The youkai had never thought of the others in the family. Maybe now was the time to start.   
  
******  
  
The little hanyou were playing nicely with each other when they heard a small polite cough from the doorway. Standing there was an uncomfortable and nervous Sesshomaru attempting to smile. They stared at him. What was he doing here and what was wrong with him?  
  
"Would you mind if I joined your game?" he managed to get out. 


	19. The End Results

Inutaisho walked the hall in worry. He had seen no sign of Sesshomaru for a while now. He knew that the boy could hide well, but he never thought that his eldest son would hide this long. He paused and looked out over the garden.  
  
With the storm finally gone, things had settled peacefully. The air was thick with the scent of water and the plants as they absorb the moisture as quickly as they could. Not to mention the ozone from the thunder and lightning. By now any scent Sesshomaru might have made in his flight was gone now. The youkai sighed. It had been no use to try during the storm, the ozone was too thick. And now the winds and water would have washed it away. He resumed his pace in melancholy.  
  
As he neared the children's room, laughter caught his attention. What struck him as odd was the third voice in the medley. He rushed to the door and peeked inside.  
  
Playing on the floor with Inuyasha and Hikaru was Sesshomaru, laughing lightly and with a little force. All three of them appeared to be having fun together and their father was not inclined to destroy whatever magic wove them all together for this moment. Instead he watched his children together in harmony and felt a great joy well up in his heart. He then realized that there may be hope for Sesshomaru after all.  
  
******  
  
At dinner that night, Sesshomaru was a little more amiable towards his siblings than he had previously. He did apologize to his stepmother for his harsh words. Surprised at it, she forgave him without a second thought. He refused to eat anything, nothing Inutaisho said could convince him to try human food. The youkai was glad that things were turning out so well.   
  
After the meal he called his son to one side. "May I have a word with you, son?"  
  
"Yes, Father. If it is about my behavior earlier this afternoon, I truly am sorry. I was angry and confused about a lot of things. But I think that I understand now. You love all three of us; and you're trying to protect us in different ways," Sesshomaru said.  
  
Inutaisho reached out and hug his son tightly. "Yes, that's precisely what I was trying to get across to you. And from what I have seen, you are learning how to dance beautifully."  
  
Sesshomaru smiled and hugged his father back. "I still don't understand what you are talking about, but I thank you for it."   
  
When he retired to sleep, he saw that there was a small bouquet of crushed flowers on his bed. He looked over and saw Hikaru and Inuyasha curled up in their beds. A small smile made an appearance on his lips. His sister had kept her promise and given the flowers that she had risked to find to him as a present. Also on his bed was a small toy soldier; apparently from Inuyasha. Hikaru had indeed surprised him; her and Inuyasha. He had never known before how much he meant to the both of them. And so he went to sleep feeling better than he had for a while now.   
  
******  
  
The morning the sun had come out to dry off the earth and warm the air. After breakfast the younger children were allowed to play in the garden provided that their older brother keep an eye on them. He agreed without complaint and joined the hanyou outside.  
  
"Come on, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha! The ground is dry enough for us to all play together!" she cried out. Hikaru took her brothers' hands and led them out.  
  
Sesshomaru was still a bit nervous about being with his younger siblings, but allowed himself to be dragged along. He was determined to change his ways.  
  
Once among the flowers, Hikaru settled nii-san and nii-chan on the ground then went and gathered more flowers. Occasionally she would return and unload small bouquets in the center of their little ring. In the mean time, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha sat in silence. Neither knew what to say to the other. Eventually, Sesshomaru knew that he had to say something.  
  
He coughed to clear his throat. "Um, Inuyasha. I just want to say…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have broken that soldier. That was mean of me to do it. And thank you for giving me that soldier that you left on my bed," he said.  
  
Inuyasha smiled and cheered up. "Thank you for letting me know, nii-san. I forgive you for breaking my toy. I know that you were very angry at something. At the time, I thought that it was me. Now I know that it really wasn't. And I wanted you to have the soldier because Hikaru was giving you something to show that she loves you and I wanted to do something like that. I'm glad that you like it." He responded.  
  
Sesshomaru was relieved that there wasn't going to be any grudges because of this. By this time, Hikaru must have decided that she had enough flowers for whatever she was going to do. She placed the last batch in the small pile and sat in between her brothers.  
  
"Okay! After yesterday, I thought that it would be fun if could make something for Mother and Father." she announced importantly.  
  
"But what can we make for them?" Inuyasha asked.  
  
"And what is with all these flowers?" Sesshomaru added. The scent that was coming off was lovely, but with all of them together, it was very strong and heady. The young youkai covered his nose with the sleeve of his robe.  
  
Hikaru made a face of exasperation and rolled her eyes, "I'm going to teach both of you how to make flower necklaces and crowns. Father and Mother would appreciate it if we each made them ourselves."  
  
The rest of the morning was spent teaching the all-thumbs brothers how to turn the flowers into strong, tightly woven crowns and necklaces. After a few attempts, Inuyasha understood why his imooto had gathered so many flowers. They came apart if something went wrong with the weaving.   
  
They watched Hikaru create her masterpieces with little effort. She had made two sets then set them aside. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha felt inadequate at the skill that she had. But Hikaru made no mention about their progress; instead she simply went to each of them and offered her advice about how to go about this business.  
  
The children worked throughout the morning and skipped lunch to get the job done. By the middle of the afternoon, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had completed their work. True, their work wasn't as good as Hikaru's but it was still very well done. Unfortunately, they only managed to make on set of the crown and necklace; they had gone through that many flowers in order to make just one crown and necklace each. Sesshomaru suggested that Inuyasha's gift go to his mother while he would give his to Father. The hanyou agreed.  
  
The trio returned to the manor and found their parents enjoying the late afternoon sun. Inutaisho's human wife was a little worried about the children being gone for so long; but he assured her that with Sesshomaru looking out for them, the hanyou should be all right. They were relieved that they all returned all right and surprised by the gifts. Especially when Hikaru presented her crafts to her brothers. Their eyes went wide. All that time she had been making something for them! Sesshomaru was so overwhelmed that he embraced both Inuyasha and Hikaru in a great hug.   
  
This took everyone by surprise. No one had ever expected Sesshomaru would ever display such a show of emotion. In fact, neither had he. It urge had taken him by surprise. But it gave him a nice feeling inside.  
  
******  
  
The rest of that day passed in peace. It was almost like a daydream; but it was one that neither Inutaisho nor his wife wanted to wake up from. They wished that it continue on this way.  
  
Sadly the parents knew that it wouldn't. Time was running out for them. The second day was over and soon will the third. Then everything will be restored to what they were. They were running out of borrowed time.  
  
So the next day (and final day), each of the parents told the children that they wanted to talk to them alone at some point during the day. The children were curious and wondered at what Mother and their Father wanted to talk to them about.   
  
Sesshomaru was the first to go. He saw Father sitting on one side of a table, opposite the door. On the table as a tea set with two cups. His second wife was no where to be seen.  
  
"Sit, Sesshomaru. There are a few things that I would like to discuss with you before tonight." he said.  
  
The young youkai sat at the table and accepted the offered tea. "What do you mean, Father? What happens tonight?"  
  
Inutaisho waved away the question. "It need not concern you right now. Tell me, my son, do you love Inuyasha and Hikaru?"  
  
Sesshomaru squirmed under his father's intent stare. He looked away before replying, "To be honest, Father…"  
  
"I want nothing more than that."  
  
"In some ways, I do love them but in other ways, I still don't." Sesshomaru looked towards his father, "Is that a bad thing?"  
  
The older youkai chuckled. "No, no. I should have expected nothing less. Something like love cannot happen over night. It may be realized, but real love must be nurtured over time and worked like learning a new sword technique. I was just hoping that your relationship with them had improved with your stay here."  
  
Sesshomaru gave a half-smile. It looked sincere, probably the first that he had in a long time. "I think that it has, Father, I truly do. I don't resent them so much now. I may not care for them as much as you might want me to; but I don't hate them now. And I know that you love all us equally. Just that we all have different needs."  
  
Inutaisho reached over and squeezed his son's shoulder. He wanted to hug the boy. But there was a table separating them. The hope that he had for his son was shining bright in his chest. "Thank you, Sesshomaru. There was a time that I worried that my advice had come too late for you. But know I see that it wasn't. It came at the right time for you to learn. And you are learning perfectly! I hope that you take the lesson to heart and don't forget it."  
  
Sesshomaru's smile grew wider and he left feeling better and for some reason at ease. The youkai talked a little bit longer than Sesshomaru was allowed to go. He rejoined his sister and brother in their room until Inuyasha was called in.  
  
******  
  
Inuyasha crept in on his hands and knees into the room. Mother and Father looked so sad this morning. He hoped that he hadn't done anything bad.  
  
"Inuyasha, there you are. We've been waiting for you. Please come in." his mother said. She and Father were sitting there on cushions with a third in front of the door. The little hanyou walked in and sat down gingerly.  
  
"What have I done now?" he whispered.  
  
They looked at him in surprise for a moment. Then they looked at each other and laughed. Inuyasha was shocked and confused at their reaction. He sat there in silence until they finally settled down.  
  
"Oh, my darling Inuyasha. You're not in trouble at all. We just wanted to talk to you. You're not into any trouble." Father explained.  
  
Inuyasha smiled and perked up. At a signal from his mother and crawls into her lap. He nestled in there and looked up at his parents. "What did you want to talk to me about?"  
  
"My son, we just want you to be happy, that's all." she said, stroking his hair. "We've been worried that you might grow up with a hard heart, that's all."  
  
"Hard heart?"  
  
His father nodded. "It is something that affects a lot of humans and most of the youkai. It means that you don't give a da- I mean, that you don't care about anyone other than yourself. And when you do care for someone, it is only to how you might use them to your advantage."  
  
Inuyasha snuggled in his mother's arms and whispered, "I don't think that I could ever be like that."  
  
"You might be surprise at how often someone says that when they're young and change as they get older." Inutaisho said. His voice was heavy with memories and experience. He shook his head to chase it away.  
  
"We hope that you truly mean that." His mother said.  
  
Inuyasha nodded. "I really mean it, Mother. They're scary! I don't ever want to be like that!"  
  
"Can you promise something, Inuyasha?"  
  
He nodded. "Sure, what is it?"  
  
******  
  
Hikaru entered the room and shut the door behind her. Mother and Father were sitting on cushions talking to each other.  
  
"Mama, Papa. You wanted to see me?"  
  
They looked at her and Inutaisho patted his lap. Without a word Hikaru scrambled over and crawled in. Her parents were silent for a few moments. They were content to just simply have their daughter there with them. An old ache returned to their hearts. But they pushed it aside to focus on the present.  
  
"Oh, darling, we wanted you to know how much we love you. And how we'll always be watching over you and your brothers." Mother said.  
  
Hikaru nodded, "Of course you will. I know that."  
  
Their expressions fell. "But we can't be there all the time, daughter. There will be times when we cannot protect you or your brothers."  
  
She rose and managed to put the tip of one finger on the tip of his nose. "Don't worry, Papa. I'll look after my nii-san and nii-chan. I'll take good care of them both!"  
  
He was surprised. "That's not what I meant…"  
  
"But someone has to! They'll get into trouble on their own!" she cried.  
  
Her parents looked at each other than laughed. It wasn't what they had intended to tell her, but it seemed that she had her own idea. But Inutaisho didn't correct her. It occurred to him that she would play a significant part in the future of his sons. "Very well, Hikaru," he said, "you take very good care of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha. And you're right, they might just need it." he stroked her hair and they all talked nonsense for the rest of the afternoon.  
  
That night, Sesshomaru was asked to step outside with his stepmother. He agreed reluctantly; he still didn't like that much, although he had to admit that he had never really given her the chance. They stood on the porch overlooking the garden. Darkness was falling and the night creatures were calling out its welcome in their own various ways. The silence stretched out between them for moments until Sesshomaru decided to speak first.  
  
"Um, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about, Stepmother?" he asked.  
  
"I just wanted to straighten some things out with you, Sesshomaru, before you settled in for the night." She responded. She knew that she had to be careful not to let slip anything that might tell him that this was the last night.  
  
"I know that you've made up with Inuyasha and Hikaru." She continued. "I wanted the same for us."  
  
He gave a soft grunt. "I've merely accepted them as they are. And they are my blood family. Things are not so simple for you and me. You're only tie to me is through them. Other than that there is nothing. You are not my mother and can never be." He said.  
  
She gave a soft smile and shook her head. "Sesshomaru, I never asked to be your mother. I have only asked that you accept me in some capacity as a friend." She looked up into his eyes. "Can you do that?"  
  
He was shocked for a moment and his face showed it. He had never thought to hear such things from her. But it wore off and he gave a small smile. "I can't think of you as a friend of mine, but I can think of you as a very brave woman for being with my father. And…I envy your tolerance of others. I wish that I could have that kind of understanding."  
  
She stepped up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "That is what we've been trying to teach you, Sesshomaru. We can only hope that it has stuck somewhere in you." She kissed him on the cheek and let him go back inside. She walked down the hall towards the room that she shared with the older youkai.  
  
He rubbed the place where the kiss had landed before settling into his place next to Hikaru. By some unspoken agreement, her bed was placed in between her brothers' where they could both keep an eye on her. None of them commented on it as they all settled in and drifted off to sleep.  
  
******  
  
Sesshomaru awoke the next morning with his mind feeling heavy; as if he had been asleep for a long time and dreamt the whole while. He managed to push himself up with his one arm. Damn his brother for crippling him in this manner. He sat up and heard two other sleeping forms breathing deeply. He looked to his left and saw his otooto and imooto still sleeping peacefully. The sight of them touched some spot in his heart and the memories of the past three days flooded him and threatened to overwhelm him. It took all of his strength not to collapse.  
  
++ 'otooto' means younger brother and 'imooto' means younger sister remember.  
  
As he sat there trying not to cry; Hikaru murmured and woke up. It took an instant for the memories to spring up. She lay there for a moment and stored back to where they should be. She could always think over them again at a later date. The young hanyou smiled; grateful that she now had memories in her childhood of her parents. She was glad that she had done it. Choking noises caught her ears and she saw that Sesshomaru was already awake. And he was trying not to cry.  
  
She sat up and knelt by his side. "Nii-san? Are you all right?" she whispered.  
  
He managed to gain control of himself and look her in the face. "I'll be all right, Hikaru," he said.  
  
She looked into his eyes for a moment. Then she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "It was worth it, wasn't it?"  
  
It took him a moment but he recovered and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Yes, it was. You were right."  
  
They were silent for a moment. Then a sighing hanyou stirred and began to wake up. Sesshomaru released Hikaru. Without a word she turned and roused Inuyasha. He awoke and looked at them both but said nothing.  
  
There was some tension between the brothers but it seemed eased somewhat. Hikaru realized that they might have somehow actually come to an understanding and wouldn't be fighting any time soon. She was thankful for that.  
  
"You still owe me a toy soldier, you bastard." Inuyasha grumbled.  
  
Sesshomaru sneered. "So says you, asshole."  
  
Well, at least they didn't sound angry at each other. 


	20. A traveling we will go

Juanyu opened the door carefully; mindful of the rotting wood. The three days had passed mostly uneventfully except for that damn thunder storm the other day. Rin had been scared to death of the light and noise. Jaken did nothing to ease the girl's fears but Juanyu did what he could to do so.  
  
"Hikaru-sama! Inuyasha-sama! Where are you? Can you hear me?" he cried out. On his shoulder, Myouga tried not to jump at every sound that might be his master and new mistress. They all had returned to the manor as the Phoenix had instructed and were now looking for their masters.  
  
"Sesshomaru-sama! Where are you, Sesshomaru-sama?" Jaken yelled out, waving his two-headed staff wildly. There a few times that it came close to hitting Juanyu, who managed to step away from it in time.  
  
They had known each other for three days and already the two men hated each other. Jaken thought that Juanyu was a human trying to become a mighty youkai while Juanyu thought that Jaken was an annoying little frog-man with an irritating voice.  
  
++ For those of you that have seen the series, don't you agree with this?  
  
Rin, on the other hand, seemed oblivious to the friction that existed between the two of them. She was more worried about where Sesshomaru-sama was. She hoped that he was all right. Underneath her feet a board creaked, but was able to bear her weight.  
  
******  
  
Elsewhere in the manor, Inutaisho's children readied themselves to go. They could hear their servants calling for them and realized that the spell had truly ended. It was now time to return to the real world. But they now had new, good memories to cheer them.  
  
"We'd better get them. Don't want to worry them more than they already are for us," Inuyasha said as he stood. Hikaru and Sesshomaru followed suit without a word.  
  
They were walking closer to the room where they were when.  
  
"Hikaru-sama! Inuyasha-samaaaa! Crap! What the hell?"  
  
They hurried at the urgency in the cry and burst into what was the dining room. Juanyu must have stepped on a rotten floorboard; for his right leg had sunk down to the knee and he was trying to pry it out. Jaken and Rin were standing nearby, unsure what to do.  
  
Hikaru and Inuyasha rushed forward to take a closer look while Sesshomaru stayed by the doorway. By the hole, Inuyasha and Hikaru could smell damp earth and old wood; a different wood from the rotten floor. It was curious but at the moment they had a more pressing matter.  
  
"How are we going to do this, Hikaru?" Inuyasha asked. The hole was a small tight one; this wasn't going to be easy.  
  
Fortunately, she did seem to have some idea. She found her stick and lengthened it to its full length. His sister frowned, as she couldn't find a place large enough for the tip. Inuyasha realized what she was doing and used his claws to widen an area near the inside of the knee. She sunk the tip in there and went down half a hand length. Hikaru leaned into towards the floor pushing down on the staff. At the same time Inuyasha pulled up on the leg as Juanyu tried lifting it. Eventually the leg did come out with an audible pop. And it caused the three of them to fall back onto the floor.  
  
The aroma of the earth and wood caught Sesshomaru's attention and drew him to it. He looked down and waited a moment for his eyes adjust to the dimness. Sunken into the ground was a fairly large wooden chest. In the top there was a grip and a circle sunken in to grip the handle. Kneeling on the floor unsteadily, he grabbed the chest with his only arm and tried to lift out of the chest. For a moment, he thought that he might lose his balance. But he felt a pair of strong arms around his waist, giving him support. With it, he was able to lift up the chest and heave unto the floor with a thud. Afterward he realized that it had been Inuyasha who had supported him while Hikaru sought any injuries on Juanyu's leg. Fortunately she found none on him; no piece of the wood had even scratched the skin. Sesshomaru shoved Inuyasha off of him as his otooto was pushing him away. They nearly caused each other to fall but their balances were recovered soon.  
  
"What is that thing, Sesshomaru-sama?" Jaken asked. The little servant puttered around it cautiously. It hadn't done anything but sit there, yet that could change at any moment.  
  
With a grunt, Inuyasha took up the chest onto his shoulder. "Let's open this thing outside. Who knows how much of this floor is rotten through," he said. Everyone took a quick look at the floor and hurried outside to the grounds. Once out in the open Inuyasha set the chest in the overgrown grass.  
  
The youkai, hanyou, and humans gathered around the chest. There were no decorations etched into the wood nor any visible opening or crease. It truly looked like it was one solid block of wood. Except that Inuyasha and Sesshomaru were certain that they felt something shift inside and it sounded hollow when it first hit the floor.  
  
"How are you going to open this, Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin asked. She looked up at him with admiring eyes that Sesshomaru could understand for the first time since he took her in. It was kind of the same look that as a child, Hikaru had given him. The feeling was unnerving.  
  
Hikaru was peering closely at near the top of the box were normally the edge of the lid would be. Her nose sniffed a few times at the four corners carefully. "I think that there might be a way," she mumbled. She used her claws and seemed to work them into an unseen edge between the lid and the rest of the chest. When gap was large enough, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru joined in her efforts to open it. Finally the lid popped open and was promptly removed. Everyone gathered closer to peer inside.  
  
On top was a air of scrolls sealed with wax and underneath seemed to be some green cloth. Inuyasha removed the scrolls while Hikaru grabbed the cloth and shook it out. It turned out to be a tunic and pants sewn in a similar fashion to Inuyasha's clothing.  
  
"Hmm." Myouga murmured. He had a thoughtful look on his face. He reached out a hand and tugged at the cloth a little.  
  
"What is it, Myouga?" Juanyu asked.  
  
"This fabric looks like neuzmi skin. As a cloth, it acts as a wonderful armor. Inuyasha-sama wears this skin. And I think that this outfit is made of the same material," he replied.  
  
"And it is meant for Hikaru," Sesshomaru said. Everyone looked at him in surprise. He had one of the scrolls in hand was apparently reading it.  
  
Hikaru looked at the tunic in her hand closely and then at her brother, "What do you mean that this is for me?"  
  
"This," he said holding up the scroll, "is a letter written from our father. According to the letter, there's a map in here that can lead you to the temple where your sword is located. There are also some items that are meant for each of us to have." He lowered the letter and looked out into the distance. After a moment, he came back to the present. The others had gone ahead and emptied the chest of its contents onto the ground. It took a little guesswork, but they figured out what was meant to go to whom. Afterward, Hikaru went back into the manor to change into her new clothes. Her brothers waited outside.  
  
They spoke a little but fell quickly into silence. What had happened to them had not yet reached its finality.  
  
After a few moments, Sesshomaru turned to Jaken and Rin. "Gather our belongings. We're going," he said.  
  
Inuyasha looked at him, surprised. "Going? Now? But why? Not that I would mind being without your company. But Hikaru would want to know."  
  
"I need to. When I awoke this morning, the onslaught of new memories threatened to overwhelm me. They still do. I need time to adjust to what I now know about our family. And when I have, perhaps I will understand better both you and Father. But for now, I need time away from the two of you," he explained.  
  
With that having been said, he walked away with Jaken and Rin following not far behind. Inuyasha let him go without saying anything more. He understood what his nii-san must be going through. The memories were fresh in his mind, and they might overpower him at any time now. But for the moment, he was able to keep at them bay. He would go over them later.  
  
Juanyu stepped next to Inuyasha, "Are you sure that it was wise to let him go like that, Inuyasha-sama?"  
  
He nodded. "He's right. He needs time to adjust to the new memories. We all will. But it will be harder for him. He's the oldest of us; and he can be such a cold asshole. What he now knows must be hitting him the hardest. He needs to evaluate what it all means to him," he replied. After an instant, something that the young man had said clicked and made the hanyou blink in surprise. He whirled around to him. "What did you just call me?"  
  
"I called you 'Inuyasha-sama.'"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you're Hikaru-sama's brother. I should refer to you with the same respect that I give to her. It is only right," Juanyu replied.  
  
"He is right, Inuyasha-sama," Myouga agreed. He leapt up onto his master's nose and sucked a little before getting slapped. Then he returned to his perch on Juanyu's shoulder.  
  
He sat on the ground and resigned to having another servant following him around. At least Juanyu was more useful than the flea-youkai.  
  
After a few minutes, Hikaru emerged from the manor dressed in her new clothes. The green robes fitted her well and complimented nicely. She twirled and looked at them. It was obvious that she would have to get use to them. She gazed around and noticed Sesshomaru's absence.  
  
"Where did he go?" she asked.  
  
Inuyasha answered that he had left shortly after she had gone in and said no more. But somehow she understood what he hadn't said. She only smiled softly and rejoined him. Together they all left the old manor with some reluctance.  
  
"Where are we going now?" she wondered out loud. She began looking around for a bird to speak to.  
  
"To get your sword, Hikaru," Inuyasha answered. He removed the second scroll from within his shirt and unrolled it. The scroll was really a detailed map of some region. It picked out a small shrine with a surrounding village and lake nearby. "According to that letter from Father, after you were taken he hid your sword at this shrine. Didn't say what he had done to get the priests to agree to it, but they did. It should still be there now; just waiting for you to claim it."  
  
She looked at him in shock. "But I thought that you were so anxious to return to your village?"  
  
"This is more important. Besides, Myouga told me what the others were doing; they should be fine for now," he said. He looked at her, "This is your inheritance, Hikaru. It's the sword that Father had Toutousai make for you. It's been waiting for years for you. We should get it."  
  
At this point, Myouga spoke up, "It isn't too much out of our way, Hikaru- sama. I am familiar with that shrine. We should reach it with hardly any trouble. From there I can easily guide us back to the village. There's no need to worry, Hikaru-sama."  
  
She sighed and gave in. It seemed that there was no deterring her brother from his choice. And at some level, she agreed with him. It was about time that she claimed it. And she was curious as what powers were endowed into the blade at the time of its forging.  
  
******  
  
The priest sat uncomfortably as the daily ritual finished and the other priests and monks of the temple left the room. After he was sure that they were all gone he stretched out his legs gratefully with a grunt and sat in quiet. The silence was something that he had sorely missed since his younger days at the shrine. He was so busy these days that he hardly any time to breath, let alone think. As the oldest resident of the temple, he was in charge of everything that pertained to the temple and at times the little village that surrounded it.  
  
He sighed and slowly stood using his staff for support. His right leg had been severely injured when he was younger; partially crippling him and confining him to stay at the temple. With a limp he made his way out of the shrine and into the daylight. Fortunately a breeze off the mountains to the north of them reached the village and help to make the heat more bearable; this combined with the wind off the lake made for what would normally be uncomfortable made the day actually nice.  
  
He decided that a walk about the temple and then outside might be a good way to pass the time until lunch was ready. And the weather wasn't that bad, besides it might help with his sore leg. He was proved right as he took his time. His mood was lifted was he walked and people living in the area recognized him and greeted him in passing.  
  
But when he reached the shore by the lake he grew more serious and gave it a close scrutiny. It waters were calm and rippled slightly as fish came to the surface to eat. Although the fish in the lake was plentiful and large, the villagers were forbidden to fish there. Having a youkai sealed at the bottom tended to do that.  
  
The priest paused at a large part of the beach and bowed his head in pray. It was here that the priests of the temple and the help of a greater youkai sealed the sealed youkai beneath the very waters that he had terrorized. And in exchange, the youkai had asked a favor of the temple. A favor that waited to be complete for years now. The priest mused that he might have to pass the secret on to his successor some day. But for now, the bargain had to be kept secret. Otherwise pretenders would step forward to try to claim what was hidden in the temple.  
  
That evening the cooling breeze made the inhabitants stoke their fires and plan to add extra blankets to their beds. That was all right by the priest. His old bones could use some comfort; they had a tendency to cramp up and ached at the slightest change in temperature. He was looking forward to a peaceful evening.  
  
******  
  
"Are you sure that this is the place, Myouga?" Inuyasha demanded.  
  
The small group was standing on a low rise that was far away enough to offer them a full vista of the temple and the immediate surrounding area. It was a quaint setting. But there was something that was setting the hanyou on edge. Neither of them knew exactly what it was; all they were aware of was that it was coming from there.  
  
The flea-youkai nodded eagerly. "Yes, Inuyasha-sama. I'm quite certain of it. Your father came here shortly after Hikaru-sama was born. He never told me what he had done here. But maybe there's someone at the temple who might."  
  
Inuyasha made a sound. "I seriously doubt it."  
  
Hikaru started down the path. "Either way, we have to go there to get my inheritance, right? So lets go already."  
  
The men followed her not too far behind. Evening was falling and they were all anxious to get to their destination. As they entered the outskirts of the village, people stopped where they were and didn't bother to hide their stares. Inuyasha ignored them and headed straight to the temple; the others decided to follow his lead.  
  
Word apparently reached the temple before they had. The door was open and someone was standing in the doorway waiting for them. He was a very old man dressed in priest's robes leaning on a long staff made of sturdy wood. Hikaru noticed that he favored his right leg over his left. She guessed that he used the staff to help him walk.  
  
"May I ask who you are and what business brings you here to our village?" he said. His voice was deep but still strong. His gaze was a little unfocused, Hikaru guessed that his eyesight might not be what it once was.  
  
"We are travelers, sir. We are here in search of something we were told would be here," she replied.  
  
The old priest was silent for a moment then spoke, "Well, then come in. I apologize for our rudeness. We are not use to receiving visitors here. The hour is late and the day must have been long for you. Let us provide you with some shelter and food for the night." He stepped aside and motioned them in. They entered in with few qualms and more than a little cautious.  
  
Later that night, Inuyasha and Hikaru were asked to speak with the priest alone after dinner. They accepted the invitation with grace. All during dinner they were curious what the priest wanted to see them for. When the time came they were surprised to be led to the temple's shrine. Why here of all places.  
  
An acolyte opened the door wide for them both. "Please enter. The houshi- sama is waiting for you."  
  
They entered a room that was lit only by lighted candles at intervals along the walls. At the far end more candles had been lit and set by the shrine marker itself. The priest had his back to them; he seemed to be praying for something. The acolyte coughed to get the priest's attention and announce the hanyou. Then he quickly left.  
  
"Please, come in, both of you. I believe that something that was begun long ago is about to come to its end," he said.  
  
******  
  
It scuttled across the ground in a clumsy manner; it hated having to travel on land. But the source of the lake had been closed long ago. The only other way to reach the water where the reverend master was sealed was over the hated, dry land.  
  
It hissed but continued on its way. As it shambled through the brush, leaves itched across the normally wet skin while low branches scratched to make their mark. The only consolation that it received was that soon all this would change. After the master was freed and had exacted his revenge, the land will belong to him, as it is suppose to be. And should have been so long ago. If only it weren't for that damn dai-youkai.  
  
But things are going to be changing soon. A way had finally been found to free the master from the bonds that held him. And it was going to be used tonight! 


	21. The Night Battle

"So, what did you want to see us for?" Inuyasha said.  
  
The priest was silent for a moment then sighed heavily. "Please, before I tell you, will you answer some questions for me?" he asked.  
  
The hanyou moved to protest but his sister laid a hand on his arm, silencing him. "Of course. We'll do our best to answer them. Go ahead and ask," she said.  
  
The old man smiled, "I can tell that your companion has a great respect for you, young lady. Is he your lover by any chance?"  
  
They shook their heads in unison. "No, she's my imooto," Inuyasha replied verbally.  
  
++ 'imooto' means little sister.  
  
"Your sister? Hmm, well then. That makes things a little bit clearer. Now, then." the priest was silent for a moment as he thought.  
  
"What precisely are you looking for here in this village?" he said. His tone was serious, deadly serious. Inuyasha was curious about it.  
  
Hikaru nervously answered, "We're here looking for something that we were told would be here."  
  
"Yes, yes. You told me that earlier this evening. What exactly is it?" he interrupted.  
  
******  
  
The sprite sighed with relief and excitement. It had finally reached the lake. It sensed the youki buried underneath the bottom. Without wasting a moment, it dived into the waters. It was glad to be in its true element. All of the clumsiness it had experienced on the cruel, solid land was now gone. The sprite moved with liquid grace through the water. It spent a few minutes glorifying in the fluidness and warmth the lake provided. After the reveling, it focused again on its chosen mission. To free the master.  
  
It swam down to the murky depths, looking intently for the markers. The sprite had been told to find the seal and, using the contents of the jar it carried, destroy it! Not long afterward, it found the seal. The seal had been found more by sensing the power emanating from the words engraved in the stone than by anything else. It hovered over the site for a few moments before settling down nearby and started to work.  
  
******  
  
"I'll ask you again. What exactly are you here looking for?" the priest said. His voice had a tint of warning to it. He had repeated his question a second time when the hanyou didn't answer at first.  
  
They were quiet because they weren't quite sure what to say to him. Should they tell him the truth? Or should they invent something up?  
  
Inuyasha finally decided that the truth was the best choice right now. "We're looking for a sword called Tennega. We were told that our father hid it here over fifty years ago," he said.  
  
The priest thought for a moment, "Hmm, and if this sword that you seek was here, why would I just hand it over to you? You could just be making it all up so that you could gain the sword."  
  
"Because it's true! Please, believe us," Hikaru said.  
  
The priest was going to reply when they heard someone running towards them frantically. At the same time, the hanyou sensed a great youki emerging and a great laugh cackled through the night sky.  
  
The doors to the shrine were flown open and an acolyte burst in gasping. He managed to stumble to the group before falling to his knees.  
  
"Houshi-sama, something terrible has happened," he said.  
  
The priest looked worried. "What is it?" he asked. Even as he spoke, he realized that it could only be one thing.  
  
"It's the water youkai, sir. He has somehow broken free from the seal. What should we do?"  
  
With the aid of his staff, the priest stood. "Sound the alarm. Get everyone in the village into the temple compound. And have every able- bodied man armed with something and have him follow me out to the lake," he ordered. Then he went past the hanyou saying, "We'll have to conclude this discussion at a later time I'm afraid."  
  
Inuyasha and Hikaru stood with him and followed him out of the shrine and into the courtyard. They could both hear and sense several small youkai running around loose beyond the walls outside.  
  
"What's going on? Who broke free?" Inuyasha demanded.  
  
The priest kept his stride as he talked, "Many years ago, back when I was only a small child, a great water youkai terrorized this village and the surrounding area. The people here tried to defeat them several times, but no one was successful.  
  
"Then one day, a youkai came to the temple. He was respectful to the priests, unusual for his kind. He said that he had heard of the trouble here and wanted to help. In exchange all he asked was for a favor.  
  
"The lead priest at the time was shocked at the proposition but had little choice but to accept the terms. Everyone was desperate to be rid of the water youkai. So with the help of the youkai, the monster was sealed at the bottom of the lake just outside.  
  
"And now, after all these years, he has broken free of the seal. We must stop him."  
  
"Let us help you!" Inuyasha cried.  
  
The priest stopped long enough to look at them both. By this time, Juanyu had caught up with them bringing Hikaru's bow and arrows. Inuyasha drew out his sword, which transformed before everyone's eyes.  
  
"Very well. If you wish to help, it would be greatly appreciated. Any and all help is useful right now," he said, hitching up the hem of his robe and starting to run as the volume of screams outside increased.  
  
They all rushed out of the temple gates and headed out into the fray. As they rushed out, villagers rushed in to the temple's relative safety. Emerging from the lake were several small water youkai with claws and fangs. In the middle of the lake was their master. He rose out of the surface and sat on an aquatic platform about five feet up. He looked human, which meant that he was just that more dangerous. He was dressed as a nobleman with fins for ears. He held no weapons that anyone could see, but the waters moved as he willed with the wave of his hand.  
  
"Freedom! Great, sweet freedom!!" he shouted into the night sky. Seeing the priests coming out of the temple, he cackled. "You, you miserable, puny pests!! You thought that you could keep me imprisoned for all eternity! But now, now I have gotten loose. And now, I will regain what I have lost then more will be added to my territories," he cried and streams of water into the people.  
  
They were knocked to the ground; several of them were unconscious as they fell. That made it easier for the water imps to get to them and begin beating them senseless. Inuyasha used his sword to get the imps off of the people while Hikaru shot her arrows. Juanyu transformed and hunted the imps down like small game.  
  
Everyone was surprised to see the elder priest fight. He used the walking staff as a bo to knock the imps away from the people long enough for them to reach the temple's walls.  
  
It was uncertain who was winning the fight or not. It seemed to be a stalemate between the two sides. Even though the water youkai was freed and was manipulating the waters of the lake, he was still weak from his imprisonment; he hadn't regained his strength back. But the humans were outnumbered and had been caught off guard.  
  
The priest was swinging his staff with all the expertise that he possessed. He and the others were doing their best, but it didn't seem enough. If there was someone to wield the sword.  
  
Then it struck him that the hanyou's arrival and the release of this monster was too much of a coincidence. There had to have been a reason why this was happening. He looked around and saw that the girl was close by him. If what she and her brother was the truth, then the sword could be awakened.  
  
"Girl! Listen to me," he shouted over the din.  
  
Hikaru released an arrow and looked at him. "What is it?"  
  
"It is here, behind the shrine in the main room," he said.  
  
"What? What are you talking about?"  
  
"The sword. The sword that you and your brother have come here for. A youkai entrusted it to us in exchange for helping us with sealing the water youkai. He said that the sword was to remain with us until his daughter was old enough to wield it and came for it. It has been hidden in the shrine since then. I think that it is time for it to come out. Hurry now! There may not be enough time left," he said.  
  
She heard his words and understood. After she shot off her last arrow and headed for the temple. Inuyasha saw her run and went after her to cover her back. She had enough to do as it was dodging the bastards that tried to tackle her from the front. Inuyasha made sure that none of them got her from behind.  
  
They reach the temple and raced towards the shrine. The lesser priests and acolytes were trying to establish order from the chaos that was the villagers surging in from the fight.  
  
"Hikaru, what are we doing here?" Inuyasha asked as they burst into the empty shrine room.  
  
"He said that it was in here," she murmured.  
  
"What's in here?"  
  
She hurried down the room and to the shrine. Before he could say or do anything, she took the shrine in her hands and knocked it to the floor. Her brother thought that it was lucky that the crash had been drowned out by the sounds of screams and fighting outside. Otherwise, they would have been in huge trouble. Well, actually, they still were. But the consequences would occur later, if there was a later.  
  
"Hikaru! What the hell are you doing?" he demanded.  
  
But she was already at the wall behind the shrine tapping at the boards. "The old priest said that my sword was hidden in the wall behind the shrine. I think that we're in agreement that it's needed now," she replied.  
  
He nodded and rushed forward to help her look. The hanyou tapped along the wall until he heard something hollow.  
  
"Hikaru, I think that I've found it," he said. He found the edges of the board and managed to pry it loose from the others. Surprisingly, it came loose with greater ease than he would have thought.  
  
Inside, there was a sword sheathed in its scabbard. To Inuyasha, the scabbard looked to be made of the same material as his own. With a smile, he reached in and grabbed it, and pulled it out of its hole. When she came to his side, he tossed the sword to her and she caught it easily.  
  
"There you go, imooto. That's your Tennega."  
  
She smiled and tied the sword to her belt. The weight felt odd at her side, but familiar at the same time. She pulled out the blade and tested the weight in her hand. It looked like an ordinary two-edged sword. But maybe it needed to wake up first. Inuyasha had told her about the first time that he had used his sword. And other times it did look like a rusty katana.  
  
Without waiting to see if the sword reacted to Hikaru's hand, Inuyasha rushed back outside and into the fray. It seemed that the tide had turned while he and Hikaru had been inside. The water imps were getting bolder and their master apparently was getting his strength back rather quickly. Unless he was defeated soon, Inuyasha worried about whether he and Hikaru could handle him.  
  
He yelled and charged on in, Tetsusaiga powered up and slicing the imps left and right. He was so focused on the fight in front of him that he never noticed what was coming from behind him. That is until a large tendril of water wrapped itself around his waist, pinning his arms to his sides. Tetsusaiga changed back into a katana and fell to the ground. Its master was lifted off the ground and into the air where he noticed that he wasn't the only one being held captive in this manner. There was Juanyu, the old priest, and several others in the same predicament. It might explain why the humans were losing the fight.  
  
"Well, you thought that you could stand up against my forces. And now I have proved you wrong. In just punishment, feel the true might of my element!" the water youkai shouted and laugh. As he laughed like a maniac, the water that bound the prisoners wavered and then covered their entire bodies, blocking off their supply of air.  
  
Oh shit, Inuyasha thought as he struggled to hold his breath.  
  
******  
  
Hikaru rushed outside as she heard the annoying laugh of the water youkai. She leapt atop the wall closest to the lake to get a good look. What she saw terrified her.  
  
"Ani! Juanyu!" she cried. They and several others were trapped in orbs of water and drowning quickly. If something didn't happen to get them out they would certainly die. Without thinking, the hanyou ran down the shore towards the trapped men.  
  
This didn't go without some notice.  
  
"Ha! Try all you might, bitch, but you'll never get them free. Not until their hearts and lungs burst from the lack of air," the youkai said, his tone mocking her concern and laughing at her abilities.  
  
At first she was filled with fear and concern for her brother and her friend. But what the youkai said filled her with anger at him and herself. Anger that he was doing this and that she couldn't get the damn sword to work; not even to save the lives of the people she cared for!  
  
At that thought, the sword glowed in her hand. She looked down and right above the hilt; strange symbols glowed in different colors. As the miko looked at them individually a different sensation filled her. It was then she knew. She knew what she could do and how to do it. Grasping the hilt in both hands she focused on the tendrils holding each of the captives. The blade of the sword was wrapped in tendrils of blue and silver.  
  
"Freeze!" she yelled and swung. The energy from the sword froze the tendrils and the orbs in place.  
  
++ Give me a break, I couldn't think of anything better for her to say.  
  
All the fighting stopped as the combatants stared at what she had just done. The water youkai stopped laughing and glared at her angrily.  
  
"Bitch! What have you done?"  
  
"I never said that I was finished," she whispered.  
  
She dashed forward and using the blade wrapped in fire, destroyed the tendrils sending the orbs crashing to the ground. As the orbs hit the ground, they were destroyed on impact, freeing everyone. Inuyasha, Juanyu, and the others spent a few moments gasping for breath. The water youkai was speechless.  
  
Hikaru stopped a ways down the shoreline and faced the youkai. The flames on the blade were still there but it seemed to crackle with a different tone. "I highly recommend that everyone get down flat on the ground," she stated firmly.  
  
She walked forward, closer to the shore and raised her sword high. From the sky above, thunder could be heard. Suddenly a bolt of lightning shot out of the sky and struck the sword. Amazingly, Hikaru didn't seem effected by it.  
  
"Lightning Strike!" she cried and swung the sword downward, releasing the energy.  
  
The lightning hit the water youkai squarely on the chest and he howled with pain and rage. His body frozen in place with his head tilted towards the heavens. All around the water imps looked on in fear and many decided to run for their lives. Hikaru knelt on the ground, exhausted form the energy use. She thought that the battle was over.  
  
What she didn't notice was that the youkai seemed to have enough strength and power left for one final attack.  
  
"If I die, bitch, you'll come with me," he whispered. He opened his mouth and a ball of energy formed in there.  
  
Inuyasha saw what was going to happen. "Shit," he said.  
  
He grabbed his sword and hurried to protect his sister. He managed to get there in time as the energy was released. The hanyou stood there with transformed Tetsusaiga in his hands, waiting for the right moment. "Like hell, I'll let you hurt her," he murmured.  
  
"Bakuryuuha!" he cried and swung.  
  
The energy went back to its surprised caster and proceeded to burn and tear him to shreds. After he was gone, the water returned to the lake and what was left of the water imps vanished. The humans began clapping and cheering in celebration as the hanyou were taken back to the temple, by order of the old priest.  
  
If anyone had noticed, they would have seen the tears in his eyes. 


	22. The Morning After

The morning sun shone down through the clouds the next morning. The village was already up trying to repair what damage they could from the attack last night. Many people were shocked to see the shrine violated, but the old priest told them merely to set it right and worry no further.  
  
"It was probably done by the water imps," he said. He winked at the hanyou when he said it. They blushed and made themselves scarce at the temple.  
  
In fact, the sun found them sitting by the lake, relaxing for a bit before they went back on the road. Juanyu was helping with some of the repairs to the village. And the priest had told them that he might be able to get them some transportation for a part of their journey. That would be welcome from all the walking.  
  
Hikaru held the Tennega partway out of the scabbard and looked near the hilt. There was no indication that the runes she had seen were ever there; but she knew that she had seen them last night.  
  
"So, that isn't a bad inheritance that Father left for you, imooto. You certainly found out how to use it faster than I did mine," Inuyasha said. He was proud of what she had done last night. Hikaru did possess a warrior's spirit; if she only allowed it to surface. He hadn't realized that her sword would be so powerful. But she would have to be careful with its use. How knew what the consequences might be?  
  
Hikaru blushed at the implied compliment and replied, "It will take some getting use to though, ani-chan." She stared at the blade and added, "I think that because I was so angry that I couldn't protect you, the sword awoke for me."  
  
"That is indeed possible, Hikaru-sama," Myouga commented and landed on her nose. After a few sucks she slapped him off her face. The little flea- youkai picked himself up and jumped to sit on her shoulder.  
  
"What do you mean by that, Myouga-jii?" Inuyasha asked.  
  
"Simply that while your sword activates when you're trying to protect humans in memory of your mother; Hikaru's sword has the same purpose but for anyone that she cares for."  
  
Hikaru sheathed her sword and laid across her lap. "It makes sense I guess," she said. Inuyasha nodded in agreement.  
  
Not too far from where they were sitting, bubbles started rising from somewhere in the depths of the lake and popping on the surface. It drew their attention as they also sensed a small bit of youki coming towards them. It was too small to be a large youkai but too large to have been one of the water imps.  
  
Small spout of water shot up into the air a few feet and something came out of the top and landed on the ground in front of their feet.  
  
It looked like a child of ten years dressed as a nobleman's son. But the boy had blue hair, fins for ears, webbed hands, and a tail that was going side to side in agitation. Inuyasha thought that this kid was probably related to the water youkai that died last night. Hikaru was thinking along the same lines but she couldn't help but find the boy a tad bit kawaii.  
  
++ For those you that don't know, 'kawaii' means cute.  
  
No one spoke for a moment. They each seemed to be evaluating the other. Then the boy puffed up his chest, inhaled, and spat a green, sticky goo that hit both Inuyasha and Hikaru in the face. The hanyou tried to get the mess off.  
  
"What in the hell?" Inuyasha cried out.  
  
"How disgusting!" Hikaru said.  
  
"A curse be on you both!" the boy shouted, pointing a finger at them both.  
  
Inuyasha and Hikaru stopped what they were doing and looked at him in surprise.  
  
"A curse?" Myouga echoed. Somehow, the goo missed the little flea.  
  
"Yes, a curse. A curse on the both of you for killing our lord and master," the boy responded.  
  
Inuyasha blinked. "A curse? You've got to be joking. You're just a kid."  
  
The boy grew angry. "I'm old enough, you damn hanyou!" Then he turned serious and cleared his throat. "I place a curse on you both. Since you two fight so well together, then that is how it shall always be. From now on, when you both enter a battle one shall fight as the other's twin!" he said. Then he tried to cackle mightily and leapt back into the lake before anyone could do anything about it.  
  
The hanyou stared at where he was for a moment before finally wiping the goo of their faces. By this time, Juanyu and the old priest were coming towards them. The hanyou stood and faced them.  
  
"Have you finished, Juanyu?" Inuyasha asked.  
  
He nodded, "The priest says that I can go now, Inuyasha-sama."  
  
"Yes, and I made sure that you were packed with some food and water. It is the least we can do for what you two have done for us," the priest said.  
  
"No, it is we should thank you for taking such good care of Tennega all these years," Hikaru replied. The miko and priest bowed to each other and then he left them.  
  
The group gathered their belongings and left the village while the sun was still in its morning arc. The villagers wished them well and resumed their work. The priest was grateful that the request was complete. The girl seemed to be able to handle the sword's powers; he had no doubt that she was the one Inutaisho meant for the Tennega to go to all those years ago.  
  
******  
  
The youkai hurried through the woods, panting for breath. He knew that quarreling and fighting amongst his kind was typical and expected considering their nature. But this was ridiculous! This boy killed youkai for apparently no reason that he could see.  
  
And why him? He was nothing more than a minor youkai; he had no any particularly special powers. There was nothing to be gained if the boy took his head like he had done with all the others. He gave it no further thought and concentrated on running. That seemed the most important thing in the world to him at the moment.  
  
******  
  
The large youkai stopped in his tracking and leaned against the tree. The intended prey was so small and weak that it wasn't worth going after. It might get stronger some day, better to wait until then to catch it.  
  
Thick, heavy footsteps announced the arrival of his twin. They were the mirror image of each other. Thick, almost stone-like scales covered their bodies, which were heavyset to begin with. Their arms and stumpy legs were as thick as logs.  
  
"It got away?" his twin said. He nodded in response. The other youkai sighed and sat down beside him. "Just as well. It wasn't worth the chase."  
  
"Where to now, aniki?"  
  
"I have heard of a village guarded by a powerful youkai. He possibly could be worth the time to hunt."  
  
******  
  
Inuyasha was tense. The travel for the past few days was calm and uneventful. But knowing his luck and the way his life went, things were ripe for something to happen.  
  
But he didn't bring this up with the others. They were just happy to be on the road again after so many delays and sidetracks. The hanyou had to admit that was good to be on the move again. If only something didn't happen to spoil it.  
  
"Hey, Myouga. How much further is it until we reach the village?" he said instead. And it was a fair question. They had been traveling for about two weeks now.  
  
The flea was quiet for a moment. "Hmm, if memory serves me correctly, Inuyasha-sama, we should reach the village in a few weeks," he said wisely.  
  
It took all of Inuyasha's self-control not to grab the little youkai from the top of Juanyu's head and shout at him. A few weeks more? Inuyasha had been waiting for over as long as he had been; he wanted to get back home. It was strange that he now thought of the village as home now.  
  
But he did nothing and said nothing just merely nodded. There was nothing he could do about it. The old guy was trying his best to get them home. And a few weeks shouldn't be too long, right?  
  
As the day wore on, the group spotted a small village, more like a trading town actually, over the crest of a hill. The day was almost over, so it seemed that they would be forced to stay there for the night.  
  
They descended into the village, and felt very conspicuous. The villagers stopped talking when they passed by, stared, and whispered behind their hands afterward. The humans especially stared at the hanyou.  
  
Finally they reached something that best resembled a restaurant and took a seat inside. The people inside were like the ones outside. They stopped talking at the sight of the hanyou, and after they found someplace to sit, little conversations started up again in small whispers.  
  
"Um, I guess that I'll go and ask for some supper, neh?" Juanyu asked. He rose without waiting for a reply and started his search for a server.  
  
The hanyou waited in silence for his return. Inuyasha felt uneasy at being stared at, but he tried to hide it with his usual demeanor. Hikaru was very self-conscious about the glares but she wasn't sure what the right course of action would be.  
  
A few moments later, a man decided to do something; which turned out to be getting up from his seat and joining Inuyasha and Hikaru at their table. They could smell the sake on his breath. This human was obviously drunk.  
  
"Wha' are ya doing ere, heh?" he asked. He still had his sake cup with him and he sipped at it as he leered at Hikaru. She tried leaned as far away from him as she could and pinched her nose close. The stench he gave off was terrible!  
  
"We're here to get some food and maybe find a place to sleep. Now go away before I do something about that horrid breath of yours," Inuyasha answered and made a point of examining his claws.  
  
The man chuckled and stood. "Don't matter to me none what you're doing here. But staying in town is probably a good choice. What with what's been happening around here, it's not safe for people like you," he said.  
  
"What do you mean?" Hikaru said.  
  
The man stared at them in surprise. "Ya mean that neither of you have heard? Someone's been going around killing youkai." He made a slicing motion across his neck. "Ripping the bodies apart and consuming parts of them; the rest is left for us to find. Naturally, it takes a while for what's left of the bodies to actually stop moving. But we have grown accustomed to waiting," he replied. Having said that, he walked unsteadily back to his original table and rejoined his drinking companions.  
  
Hikaru shivered in the warm air, "I'd rather not know what they do with the remains."  
  
Inuyasha shrugged, "Probably take what they can and sell it for some profit. This is a trading town you know." Hikaru looked horrified; but Inuyasha hastened to explain. "Come on, sis, you have to admit that it can be hard for people to earn enough for food to last them the entire week. With all the fighting that's going on right now. These people have to do almost anything to survive. Even if that means looting a dying man's body for anything that they can sell here. This isn't a safe time for anyone right now, human or youkai," he said. He crossed his arms and leaned back from the table.  
  
Juanyu returned to their table with a tray bearing what smelled like stew and water. He settled the tray on the table and took his seat. "I've heard some interesting things about this town," he said.  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"This village is being guarded by a youkai in a shrine not too far from here. And there are rumors of someone going around killing off small youkai in the areas beyond the village. I think that it might be a good idea if we stayed here for the night."  
  
"We know, Juanyu. Any idea where we might get a place to stay for the night?" Inuyasha said. He and Hikaru ate their food with a little haste. The restaurant was making Hikaru nervous and Inuyasha wanted to find a safe place to sleep quickly.  
  
After they had eaten, the bill was paid, and they left the restaurant. Each of them asked around and got the directions for the shrine. The plan was to see if they might spend the night there. It seemed the safest place to stay in the town. At any rate, it would be safer than trying to stay in the village.  
  
The group reached the shrine without any difficulty. Night had fallen by now and the moon was climbing in the eastern sky. The shrine building itself was in good repair. Obviously the villagers still had some respect for the youkai that lived here and gave proper due. The inside was dark and empty when Hikaru knocked. The door had swung open with little prodding. Since there was no one to stop them, the group entered the room and made themselves as comfortable as they could. In the morning they would leave and continue on their way.  
  
******  
  
Further uphill from the shrine, the twins looked in anticipation and delight. Not only was there the shrine youkai to feast on, a pair of hanyou and a small youkai as well. This would certainly be a most memorable night! 


	23. The Curse Revealed!

Within the temple, things were settling down peacefully. Inuyasha and Hikaru did sense some youki, but whatever youkai made this shrine it's home seemed benevolent enough to let them stay the night.  
  
She made a little offering to the shrine while the boys spread out the bedrolls on the floor. Then they all settled in for the night. It had been a long and unsettling day. With luck the night would pass by uneventfully and tomorrow will be better.  
  
But Inuyasha felt that they would not be so lucky.  
  
******  
  
The nighttime forest was filled with the usual sounds of the rustling leaves in the trees and the night animals scurrying along their way. Which for the most part, was to avoid getting into the path of the twin youkai making their way to the shrine. They stomped through amongst the trees with terrible purpose, not caring what got in their way.  
  
They knew that they would have fine feasting tonight. A pair of hanyou and a shrine youkai. Who could ask for a finer meal for their delicate palates?  
  
The youkai chuckled in unison as they moved ever closer to the shrine.  
  
******  
  
In the village, most of the town had settled down for the night. The bars and restaurants were closed, shooing the last of their drunken customers off to their own homes and beds. Not one of them had any idea what was heading towards their beloved shrine.  
  
******  
  
Inuyasha was almost asleep when his nose caught the scent of something unfamiliar and possibly hostile not too far from the shrine. He sat up and his senses confirmed the presence of youki in the immediate area. Beside him, Hikaru awoke and also sat up. Without a word the two of them gathered their weapons and headed outside.  
  
The twins and hanyou emerged and saw each other at the same time. There was a face off for a moment while each side judged the other's strength.  
  
The youkai knew that the hanyou shouldn't be much trouble for them, but their swords gave off a powerful aura; and there was something about the two hanyou that seemed out of place with them. Yet they couldn't pinpoint what it could be.  
  
Then one of them chuckled, "Good, you came out to meet us. That will save us some trouble."  
  
"Why?" Hikaru asked.  
  
"Because, after we're done consuming your youki, the youkai in the shrine should pose no trouble for us."  
  
Inuyasha was quiet through all of this. He could sense the strength of the youkai in front of them and knew that he could handle one of them easily. And Hikaru should be more than enough to take care of the other one.  
  
He looked at her and she nodded. Good, she understood. Together they charged forward. And both of them were smacked in the chest with the back of the youkai's hands as in unison they deflected the charge with practiced ease.  
  
Hikaru and Inuyasha flew over the shrine and landed in the brush behind the building. The commotion had awakened Juanyu and Myouga, both of whom took one look outside and raced out, the human grabbing his bow and quiver.  
  
The youkai laughed and crushed and ripped into the shrine with their bare hands. The laughter turned into rage as the youkai that was suppose to live there refused to reveal itself to them. They shredded the shrine to kindling and scattered the pieces all around them.  
  
In the brush, Inuyasha and Hikaru sat up and looked at their opponents in wonder. How could the hanyou's attack have been deflected so easily? And they stared in wonder as they saw that the youkai moved in perfect unison. All their movements were reflections of each other.  
  
"Youkai twins, this is not a good thing, Inuyasha-sama," Myouga said. The flea-youkai and Juanyu appeared by their side. "It will be very difficult to defeat them, Inuyasha-sama."  
  
"And would you mind explaining to me why that is, Myouga-jii?" Inuyasha growled.  
  
"Twin youkai are a rarity. It has always been said that twin youkai fight as one in battle, near impossible to defeat one of them," he said. "And so long as one of them is alive, they both will remain alive."  
  
"What if both are defeated at the same time, Myouga?" Hikaru asked.  
  
The flea nodded, "That might work, Hikaru-sama. Brilliant idea!"  
  
"Then let's do it!" Inuyasha screamed as he got up and charged forward. He pulled his sword out and prepared to swing.  
  
"Kaze no."  
  
But, one of the twins noticed the approach reached out, and grabbed Inuyasha by his sword arm. The other twin took Tetsusaiga from Inuyasha's grasp and tossed it aside.  
  
"That won't work with us, little hanyou."  
  
"Kukuku. He's right. Not one single person can defeat us."  
  
"Then maybe two can!" Hikaru cried out. She jumped up and swung Tennega. "Gale Wind!"  
  
A powerful gust of wind came from the blade and buffeted them. The twins were forced to release Inuyasha to protect their faces. The hanyou jumped aside and managed not to be effected by the blast. He ran back to his sister's side with a grimace.  
  
"Damn, this is going to be difficult," he said.  
  
Hikaru looked at him, "No? Really, Inuyasha?"  
  
"Bah! Don't give me any of your sarcasm, imooto-chan. We need a plan here. Can you use your lightning trick on them like you did when you first awakened the sword's power?"  
  
Hikaru studied their opponents and a doubtful expression came upon her face. "I doubt that I could," she replied. "It seems that their skin is made of stone. The lightning won't penetrate straight through. But if there was some sort of opening, I might be able to do something."  
  
Inuyasha grinned. "Say no more, Hikaru. Leave it to me, just follow my lead," he said.  
  
At that moment, they both felt something tingling inside of them. But they both ignored it. Whatever it was, they were sure that it could wait until after the battle to inquire about. And they were sure that the other had not experienced the feeling; so they were determined so hide it from their sibling.  
  
Inuyasha rushed forward and could hear Hikaru not too far behind him. He gathered his youki in his fingers and leapt at the twin youkai.  
  
"Soul Scattering Iron Claw!" he shouted and swung down.  
  
"- Iron Claw!" came Hikaru's voice. Inuyasha looked to his side and saw her swing her arm down in the exact same motion as him.  
  
"How can this be?" he thought, "How can Hikaru be using the same attack as me? I thought that she was untrained in how to use her youki?"  
  
They landed at the same time on the other side of the twins. The youkai were hurt but Inuyasha was more concerned about Hikaru. She was kneeling on the ground, clutching her right hand and biting her bottom lip.  
  
"Hikaru!" he cried and rushed to her side. "What the hell was that just now? I thought that you didn't know how to use your youki?"  
  
She looked up at him. "I don't know how. But somehow when I started after you, the knowledge came into my brain and my arm moved of its own volition. I saw that I was doing the same attack as you, but there was nothing that I could do to stop me."  
  
They shared a puzzled look then turned to face their opponents again. The twins were badly damaged and really angry.  
  
"How dare you!" one cried out.  
  
"How is it possible that you were able to hurt us?" shouted the other.  
  
"It doesn't matter! They won't live long enough to get second chance," retorted the first. With a growl, they charged forward to them.  
  
Inuyasha glared at them, trying to figure out the best way to dodge their attack. The youkai were coming at them with fists raised. He jumped out of their reach just as the twins brought their fists to the ground. The hanyou went up into the air, twisted his body in mid air and landed on a tree branch right next to a wide-eyed Hikaru.  
  
"Ho-How did you do that?" she asked.  
  
Inuyasha grabbed the branch to steady himself as pain exploded along his spine. "I.I don't know. It was like what you told me when you first used your youki. The knowledge was there and my body moved on its own," he replied. He looked at her, "What the hell is happening to us?"  
  
She shook her head in bewilderment.  
  
The twin youkai growled and stepped in unison towards the hanyou siblings. They were just as confused as they were about the situation but they care less why this was happening. All that mattered to them was to wipe out their opponents and dine on their flesh before going towards the shrine youkai.  
  
Inuyasha was silent and looked at his imooto. He had no idea what they could do now. Hikaru smiled in a way that told him that she had come up with something. "Follow my lead, ani-chan," was all she said as she leapt off the branch towards the youkai. Inuyasha saw that she planned to attack them with her bare fists. It might help; especially if he could manage to get at them with his own claws.  
  
Then he felt something pull at him. Something wanted him to follow Hikaru precisely. He leapt off the branch and his body obeying commands that didn't originate from him.  
  
Together they rushed towards the youkai and attacked. On the sideline, Juanyu and Myouga watched in fascination as Inuyasha and Hikaru fought the youkai in perfect unison. They were fighting hand to hand and moving at incredible speed.  
  
"It's amazing," Myouga muttered.  
  
"What is?" Juanyu asked.  
  
"The way that Inuyasha can fight using his whole body. I never knew that he could. I had always thought that he lacked the knowledge and proper training for this style of fighting. He had always used his sword and youki in battle." There was no mistaking the pride in the flea's voice.  
  
"But," Juanyu interjected, "he couldn't have."  
  
"Huh? What do you mean?"  
  
"I know those moves," he explained. "They're the same ones that I have seen Hikaru-sama practicing. There is no way that Inuyasha-sama could know them."  
  
"Oh boy," the flea murmured. He studied the fighting and then a memory that at first seemed unimportant leapt up and a revelation was made.  
  
"Inuyasha-sama! Inuyasha-sama!"  
  
"What is it, Myouga? Can't you see that I'm in the middle of something!" his master answered.  
  
"I might have an idea about what's going on, Inuyasha-sama!" Myouga cried out. "Remember what the water youkai had said! 'When you both enter a battle one shall fight as the other's twin!' That might mean that in battle, you two share the same abilities!"  
  
Inuyasha and Hikaru leapt back from the youkai to give themselves a chance to think through what Myouga had said. The idea seemed preposterous, but it did have merit and make sense.  
  
"All right," Inuyasha said. "If we do share the same abilities, what do we think we should do?"  
  
Hikaru said, "I think that we should finish them now. Call Tetsusaiga to you and we'll use our swords together."  
  
He smiled and agreed. He held out his hand called his sword to him. The blade answered promptly and came to its wielder's open hand.  
  
++ For those of you who don't remember, he did something like this previously just after Miroku joined the group.  
  
Together Inuyasha and Hikaru charged the youkai twins.  
  
"Kaze no Kizu!" Inuyasha shouted.  
  
"Maelstrom!" Hikaru cried out.  
  
The combined attacks utterly destroyed the twins as they screamed in pain and death. Inuyasha and Hikaru stood wearily as Juanyu ran up to them with Myouga jumping giddily on his shoulder.  
  
"You did it! You did it! Congratulations, Inuyasha-sama and Hikaru-sama!" the little youkai cried out.  
  
"Yeah, we did," Inuyasha said with a tired smile. Then he and Hikaru fell face first on the ground. 


	24. Why it is a curse

Inuyasha awoke the next morning with the sun shining into a fairly large cave. The light was filtered through leaves of trees that helped to protect the entrance to the cave itself. As for the hanyou, he was laying on his stomach with his arms stretched out by his sides. It felt as if every part of his body burned, but dampened somehow. A slight breeze entered the cave and he shivered as he realized that there was a cold cream rubbed into his skin.  
  
To his left was a small fire with a pot simmering over the flames. Beyond the fire there was an empty bedroll that had been recently vacated. Near the entrance he could see Juanyu's basket standing unharmed. He could only assume that he was someplace safe at the moment. But it bothered him that Hikaru, Juanyu, and Myouga weren't here as well.  
  
At this moment, his ears picked up voices and footsteps coming this way. Groaning, he brought his arms up to his head and managed to lean himself up on his elbows. He could sense youki as well, a fairly strong one at that. The hanyou hoped that he wouldn't have to fight; his body was in no condition for it.  
  
The youkai entered the small clearing in front of the cave carrying Hikaru in his arms. She was still unconscious and Inuyasha could smell traces of singed flesh coming from her hands where small strands of steam rose.  
  
The youkai himself looked to be about Sesshomaru's age and as attractive as well. His green hair was tied back at the nape of the neck and his orange eyes seemed to glow with an inner fire. His clothing was simple, but finely cut. Overall, Inuyasha sensed that this youkai must be someone of great power and that he and his friends were guests in his cave.  
  
He said nothing as he watched his host tuck Hikaru into the other bedroll. A moan escaped her lips as the youkai rubbed a transparent green gel onto her hands.  
  
"Inuyasha-sama! You're awake! Thank goodness for this!" Myouga exclaimed and landed on his master's nose. After a few sucks, Inuyasha managed to slap the flea youkai off.  
  
"So, you're still around. Figures," he grumbled.  
  
"Inuyasha-sama, I'm glad that you've recovered enough to have woken up," Juanyu said. He appeared at the hanyou's side and lifted the blanket that covered his body. Inuyasha winced as the young man gently prodded the muscles of his back and legs.  
  
"They'll be sore for a few more hours, Inuyasha-sama. By then you should be well enough to move around a little."  
  
"Arigato, Juanyu. But, what the hell happened after I passed out? The last thing that I remember is destroying those twin youkai," he asked.  
  
++ 'arigato' is one way of saying thank you.  
  
The youkai smiled and stirred the pot on the fire as he spoke, "It's not surprising, after what your servants have told me about you and your imooto. I witnessed the battle from within the woods; the twins were so intent on the battle and the shrine that they didn't notice that I was there. When it was all over, I rushed to your side to see what had injure you. It was indeed a curious sight to see. You were writhing in pain, what I could not tell and the grass underneath your sister's hands was withering and blackening as if they were on fire."  
  
"We quickly explained to him what had happened to you both and the discovery of the curse," Myouga interjected. "He insisted that we accompany him to his cave. Here Juanyu applied a cream that Hikaru-sama uses for sore muscles, which explained what was happening to you. Inuyasha- sama, you are not trained in the same fighting style as Hikaru-sama and your body is protesting being used in a manner it does not of. As Hikaru- sama, her youki has never been used before, and she is paying the price for it."  
  
"Where were you just now then?" Inuyasha asked.  
  
"We were cooling off Hikaru-sama's hands in a river," Juanyu answered. "They were still burning and the youkai thought that the water would help to remove some of the heat. And I think that he's right. Hikaru-sama's hands aren't as bad now as they were before."  
  
Inuyasha looked over at the hanyou girl and realized that Juanyu was right. Her hands were sunburn red but that was fading, along with the singed flesh smell. He sighed and laid his head on his hands. Just resting and letting others do the work went against his independent nature, but his body hurt too much to move around much. He had no choice but to let them tend to him and his imooto until they were able to move again.  
  
In the meantime, there were plans to be made.  
  
******  
  
Hikaru woke up slowly in either the dusk or dawn of a day. She didn't know how long she had slept, so she couldn't be sure what the time was. Her head ached as well as her hands. The ache in the hands reminded her of handling something that was too hot to touch but nevertheless she handled anyway.  
  
Slowly, she propped herself on her elbows and took a look around. To her left was a small fire that lit up the cave that she was in fairly well. Beyond the fire was Inuyasha sitting up on a bedroll where he must have been sleeping in, judging by the rumpled blankets. He was apparently stretching his arms and back; moving slowly as if he was in some kind of pain. At first she couldn't understand why as he was moving in such a manner. Then the events from some time ago emerged and reminded her.  
  
"Inuyasha! You're all right. I'm glad of that," she managed to say. Her throat felt sore and she had to cough after speaking.  
  
Her ani-chan looked at her in surprise then happiness and carefully stood. She could hear his grunts and moans as he stood and walked to her side. He grabbed her by the shoulders and stared at her face.  
  
"Are you all right though? That's what I want to know," he said in a tone that she rarely heard him speak. It had none of his supposed arrogance or attitude that he sometimes tried to convey to other people. He was allowing his emotions to come through to the surface. And he was genuinely worried about her.  
  
She nodded and he looked visibly relieved at her answer. Then he explained where they were and what had happened after they had lost consciousness.  
  
"So what do we do know?" she asked when he was finished.  
  
"We get better then we head back to the village again. And on the way, we'll do some training," he replied.  
  
"Training?"  
  
"Yeah. I know that the curse can't be lifted yet. I asked that youkai if he could and he replied that it seemed beyond his power to do so. Our only other option is to train each other in our different fighting styles. That way, something like this won't happen again. If our enemies knew about this, they could easily take advantage of it. That is something that I don't like. So on our way to the village, I'll train you how to use your youki and you will train me how to fight as you do."  
  
He stood and made as if he was going to return to his bed and he stopped and turned to face her again. "By the way, there's something that has been bothering me for a little while. How is that you know how it use a sword? I've only seen fight using your fists before you got the Tennega. And you weren't carrying one when I met you. So how do you know?"  
  
She smiled and sat up straighter. "My teachers insisted that I learn various ways of fighting, what works on one opponent may not work on another. It's just that I preferred fighting using my body instead of relying on a weapon that I might always have on hand when battle comes. That's all."  
  
Her reply made Inuyasha grin. There was wisdom in what she said. He wished that one day that he could meet these teachers and learn more about them. They had certainly created an interesting miko in his imooto-san.  
  
He returned to his bed and sighed as he sat down. His body felt battered and bruised by the side effects of the curse. It was all that he could do to keep from falling on his face and going to sleep immediately. Instead he was able to stay awake long enough to eat some stew when Juanyu and their host returned.  
  
Then he fell asleep.  
  
******  
  
The next day proved the hanyou recovered and strong enough to continue their journey, much to the chagrin of their host who insisted that they stay a bit longer. But Myouga managed to convince him that it was better that they go onward.  
  
"Bah, I'm glad that we're gone from that place," Inuyasha said later. It was early afternoon now and they had been traveling since that morning. He was setting the pace and refused to go any slower than he normally would. He knew that his body would complain about it mightily, but he refused to listen to it right now.  
  
"So, ani-chan, I'm ready."  
  
"Huh? Ready for what, Hikaru?"  
  
"For you to start teaching me how to use my youki, of course," she replied. Hikaru skipped forward a few paces and began walking backwards so that she might be able to talk to her ani-chan better.  
  
"What do I need to do first?"  
  
Inuyasha stared at her for a few moments, trying to articulate what he should say. Fortunately, Myouga spoke to his master's rescue.  
  
"Well, first, Hikaru-sama..."  
  
And so Myouga began his instruction of the youki and how it might be used. Inuyasha piped in now and then with his own comments while Hikaru listened raptly. That evening when they made camp, Hikaru began to teach her ani- chan on her fighting techniques and moves. She also included some sword exercises, which he grudgingly partook in.  
  
++ I'm not sure how the youki works, so I'm not even going to try to explain it. Besides, this saves a lot of time for me and will allow me to continue with what matters.  
  
As time passed, Inuyasha and Hikaru's lessons quickly grew more difficult. Inuyasha was steadily getting better at the tasks his imooto set before him and was learning quickly. Hikaru was also learning as well, but not at the same rate as him. Harnessing the youki was proving to be more difficult for her than anyone had originally imagined. But she did practice and understood what she needed to do.  
  
"Bah! Myouga, how much further do we have to go? You said that you knew the way back to the village from the temple. So what the hell is the hold up?" Inuyasha complained one evening by the fire. He was massaging aching muscles that weren't protesting as loudly as they used to. He smiled to himself; he was indeed improving. And the stretches that Hikaru taught him were helping to lessen the pain.  
  
On Juanyu's shoulder, Myouga was spooked out of his private thoughts by his master's words. A sweat drop appeared by his head as he waved his hands side to side to calm the hanyou down. "Now, Inuyasha-sama, calm down. And don't worry. I do know how to reach the village, it shouldn't be too far now."  
  
"But you've been saying that for some time now, Myouga. Are you certain that old age isn't robbing you of your memory?" Juanyu said.  
  
Myouga was silent as he tried to keep his temper from flaring. A small vein popped for a moment on his forehead but after a few deep breaths and silent reason why it would be a bad thing to yell at his mistress he spoke. "I may be old, Hikaru-sama," he replied, "but my mind has not yet succumbed to the ailments that old age brings. In truth, we are a few weeks away from the village right now. A little more time and we should be able to see it."  
  
That answer seemed to satisfy the hanyou and they were silent as they ate a small meal of roasted lizard and snake meat. Hunting wasn't favorable in the area. The next morning they were off again. About midday, the hanyou heard sounds of fighting not too far off from where they were and the scent of blood was strong on the wind. And the presence of youki.  
  
"Nyah! A battle! We better go check it out," Inuyasha said.  
  
"Wait a minute, ani-chan. Weren't you just saying that you were anxious to get back to this village?" Hikaru asked curiosity aroused.  
  
"Yeah, but I have to do this. Besides, don't you want to help out as well?" he replied.  
  
She smiled and nodded. Together they headed off towards the battle. Behind them, Myouga grumbled under his breath as Juanyu gathered his bow and arrows then proceeded to follow.  
  
The flea couldn't believe it! Just a moment ago, Inuyasha-sama was complaining about delays and now they were walking into another one! And Hikaru-sama was just as bad as her younger ani. If his mouth could have permitted it, Myouga would have smiled. Their chichi-ue would have been proud.  
  
++ 'chichi-ue' means father.  
  
******  
  
The soldier leaned against his spear and panted to catch his breath. The fight was hopeless. He and his comrades, about thirty in number, had been sent out here by the dono to keep this youkai from reaching the manor. But it turned out that the thing was actually an oni, which was making things that much worse. The human warriors were no match for it. And yet they couldn't just give up, the dono was depending on them to keep the monster at bay.  
  
++ 'dono' means a lord of some rank, mostly used here to mean a local king.  
  
The soldier thought gloomily that only a miracle could stop this oni now. The oni was a giant with skin like rock and claws like a katana. And his teeth were the same as his claws. The bastard was taking great delight in mowing the warriors down with just the back of his hand.  
  
The soldier rubbed his eyes and told himself that he must be so tired that he was imagining things. For a moment, he could have sworn that he saw something on the other side of the field coming in their direction. Then his imaginings proved real as two strokes of light attacked the oni and caused him to fall to his knees.  
  
"Oh my god! Help's arrived!" one of the other soldiers cried out. And apparently helped had arrived in the form of two young looking youkai.  
  
"I can't believe that we're doing this!" Inuyasha protested again as he lowered his sword.  
  
They had arrived in time to see the oni bat around the soldiers as he would flies. It was obvious that this was no ordinary youkai but an oni. The initial attack had done its purpose; it took the attention of the oni away from the humans and towards him and Hikaru. But now what?  
  
He tried to think quickly as the thing shambled over to them. Without any good ideas coming to mind, he raised his sword and let loose another cutting wind. Beside him, Hikaru let loose another elemental attack, this time one of fire. So what hit the oni looked like a large fireball. The combined attacks managed to finally destroy the oni in a billowing, flaming pillar; all that hit the ground was little bits of burning flesh that were quickly disintegrating.  
  
Not too far away from them, the human soldiers let loose a cry of victory and rushed towards their saviors. Inuyasha was all for leaving immediately, but Hikaru held onto his arm to make him stay.  
  
One of the soldiers stepped forward grasped both of Inuyasha's hands in his own in gratitude. "Arigato, kind strangers. If it weren't for you, we most certainly would have perished at the hands of that terrible oni."  
  
Inuyasha was stunned a moment but quickly recovered his usual attitude of apathy, but there was no mistaking the small touch of pride in his voice. "Bah! It was nothing. What was that oni doing anyway?" he said.  
  
"The oni was coming to attack our dono's manor and destroy us all. But he was the one destroyed, thanks to you and your aid. Please, come with us back to the manor. Our dono will certainly want to thank you himself for all that you have done and give you a place to stay for the night at least."  
  
The offer of a bed and a solid roof over their heads was too good to pass up. After a few introductions were made, they followed the much wounded company back to the manor as the sun began to make its way to its bed for the evening. 


	25. At the manor

The afternoon shown down on the weary travelers as they trudged along the dusty road. The children of the refugees were the only ones that were enjoying themselves as they ran around the edges of the group, yelling and playing chasing games.  
  
From his place in the walking order next to a wagon on his left, Miroku smiled and chuckled to himself. He could hardly believe that the children could be acting like this when their entire village had been destroyed and had nowhere else to go. And amongst the children Shippou was playing with them as if he was a normal human child instead of a kitsune.  
  
"At least it's taking his mind off of Inuyasha and Kagome," Sango said from his right. On her shoulder, Kiarara mewed her agreement. The houshi looked at her in surprise.  
  
"What are you talking about, Sango-chan?" he asked.  
  
"Shippou, playing with the other children will keep him from thinking about how long Inuyasha has been missing and if Kagome will ever return to this world," she explained. He nodded.  
  
It has been almost too long since Inuyasha was first swallowed by that strange fish youkai and taken to the river. For some strange reason, the group had decided to try looking for him; the hanyou was known for his habit of getting out of deadly situations with little harm to him.  
  
But enough was enough. They had been searching for months now and have had no success. Maybe it was time to consider giving up...  
  
"Is everything all right, houshi-sama?" a voice weakly moaned form within the wagon. Miroku looked into the back of the wagon. Laying on a makeshift pallet was a young man who seemed to have aged years in only a few months. His clothes resembled the robes of a priest but they were heavily soiled with sweat, dirt, and blood. Bandages were wrapped tightly around his eyes with dried blood streaking down the cheeks like tears.  
  
"You shouldn't be talking right now; rest and conserve your strength until we reach the dono's manor," Miroku replied.  
  
"With all due respect, houshi-sama, if I do any more resting, I think that I might lose my temper. I have had enough rest," the priest mumbled. His tone changed and what expression Miroku saw softened into something pleading. "If I am to remain in this wagon for the rest of the journey, please permit me to at least talk?"  
  
"I see no harm in doing that. Actually, if you feel up to it I have a few questions that you can answer for me."  
  
"Certainly. Ask what you may; but understand that I may not be able to answer all of them."  
  
Miroku nodded although his companion couldn't see it. "I understand. My first question is this: how is that the entire village that you were trusted to safeguard is now walking to this dono? What could have happened to cause this exodus?"  
  
"I can easily answer both of those questions, houshi-sama. It all began about half a month after I became the priest of the village. I was tending to the birds that lived in a tree near my home on evening when from deep within the forest, when I saw massive flocks of birds flying out of the trees, over the village and beyond. There were so many of them that they temporarily covered and blackened the sky. I remembered something that someone had told me about the birds, a warning. I was told that if the birds were ever to leave in such a flight, the wisest thing would be to evacuate the village and find safety."  
  
"That is certainly wise advice. Whoever told you this must have been a wise old sage," Miroku commented.  
  
Inside the wagon, the priest chuckled. "You're right about the advice, houshi-sama, but wrong on who gave it to me. And as I was saying, when I saw the birds, I knew that trouble was heading towards the village. I ran to the center, shouting at people to get out of their houses and out of the village. None of them believed me, instead they followed me to the center of the village, asking what the fuss was about. The headman was there as well. He was furious that I would cause such a ruckus for no reason. But that was when we all heard it. It was the sound of multiple wolves howling. Or at least, some things that were trying to pass itself off as wolves. Everyone, especially the elder people of the village, turned pale and began to run in the opposite direction of the howls.  
  
"I managed to get them all organized and we headed out for safety. But apparently we were too late or our attackers were early. They were wolves the size of men or, for some, larger than. And yet they could stand like men and their front paws were as dexterous as human hands. I know that they were nothing natural. Not even the youkai can be like that!  
  
"Anyway, they came upon us as we were heading out. Most of the village ran for their lives, but I stayed behind with a few other men to try to keep the monsters from them as long as we could. We fought them as best we could and were able to knock a few of them out of the battle. The last thing that I remember seeing before I was blinded was an old soldier managing to pierce the chest of one of the monsters with a homemade spear as his head was bitten off. I don't know what happened to my opponent after it blinded me. But I was pulled away from the fight by the other surviving defenders.  
  
"We made our way to the rest of the villagers and the decision was made to make the trek to the dono's manor to seek refuge for us all. That's our tale. The rest you are familiar with, houshi-sama."  
  
Miroku nodded. He, Shippou, and Sango had come across this starving band a few days ago. They had agreed to guide and protect the group on the rest of the trek. The talk turned to lighter things as the afternoon worn on towards evening.  
  
******  
  
One of the first smells that came to Hikaru's nose as she entered the courtyard of the dono's manor was blood. It took all of her control not to flinch and grab her nose to keep the stench out. Beside her, she could sense Inuyasha and Juanyu stiffened at the smell.  
  
"What the hell is going on here?" ani-chan asked.  
  
Indeed, to Hikaru, it seemed like some kind of hell. The fighting with the oni must have been going on for some time as there were several soldiers gathered in the courtyard, not one of them uninjured. Their guide's explanation confirmed what she thought and more.  
  
"A few of the men have died because of the oni. And I believe that many more will before the night is out," he added sadly. By then, the miko had made up her mind.  
  
"Not if I can do anything about it," she said in a known voice.  
  
All the men looked at her, but only the men that knew and what she was capable of doing wore expressions of knowing that they would somehow get dragged into it.  
  
"What do you want us to do, Hikaru?" Inuyasha asked crossing his arms across his chest.  
  
"Inuyasha, I'd like you to tend to all of the least wounded soldiers. Juanyu, take Myouga and tend to those with more serious injuries. I'll take care of the ones with the most grave of wounds," she ordered without pausing. Without another word, Juanyu took off his pack and handed the needed materials out to the others.  
  
All the while, their guide looked flabbergasted at what was going on. These strangers first helped them by destroying the oni, now they were going to tend to the wounded? Who were these people?  
  
++ I always wanted to use the word 'flabbergasted' but back to the story.  
  
It was well into the night by the time that all of the soldiers were looked after, even when the manor's healers joined the trio in their work. It was amazing the kind of speed that everything was done by. Juanyu was able to finish with his patients rather quickly. When he was done, he helped Inuyasha with the ore seriously wounded soldiers. This took a little more time, as the oni was prone to wound soldiers in this category than others.  
  
But Hikaru had tending to her patients the longest. She was able to secure a private room in order to perform her treatments. A rag wrapped around her nose and mouth helped to cut down on the stench of torn flesh and spilled, sometimes still flowing, blood. Her patients' comrades would do their best to try to be helpful, but mostly they stayed out of her way, the best way that they could help under the circumstances.  
  
She didn't keep track of how much time had past or how many men she helped. But it did seem that most of the soldiers were seriously wounded by the oni. She was able to use her medicines effectively, but too many times, she had to ask one of the less wounded soldiers to fetch her more from the basket. Others seemed committed to making bandages by tearing up old clothes and boiling them in hot water like she had asked them to. At the least it helped them to release from pent up emotions and kept their hands busy.  
  
There was little liquor that she could use to numb the pain for the soldiers as she worked; she resorted to an old trick she learned at her teacher's feet. When the liquor ran out, she began to tell stories from the land that raised her to distract the men from what she was doing. They were fascinated by the stories about other warriors, especially those that suffered wounds worse than their own.  
  
After long last, the last of her patients had been seen to and tended. None of them had died under her hands; their fates were now in the hands of whatever powers they prayed to.  
  
"So, you're finally finished, Hikaru?" Inuyasha asked from the doorway.  
  
She whipped around to look at him, surprised to find him there. Behind him a little ways was what looked like a guardsman. Hikaru took the rag off her face and smiled.  
  
"Hai, it finally looks like I am, ani-chan. How did you and Juanyu fare with your patients?" She stood wearily and her knees buckled, nearly making her fall. The soldiers gasped and rushed to her side, but none of them were quicker than Inuyasha. He caught her as she fell and gave her his support in standing.  
  
"Juanyu and I finished long ago, imooto-chan. We've eaten and were getting ready to get some sleep. The dono wants to see us, but I told the guards that it can wait until tomorrow after we're all rested," he whispered in a low voice, meant for her hears alone. "And that sure as hell includes you, Hikaru. The soldiers have said that you haven't taken a break for anything, not even food. Out of all of us, you need rest the most. And don't even think about arguing with me!"  
  
Hikaru was so tired to argue but simply nodded her head. The hanyou man sighed with relief. Gathering her up in his arms he left the room with her mumbling last minute instructions for her patients to last them until morning. The guard that had been standing behind Inuyasha stepped forward and guided them both to the room set aside for them by the dono. Neither of the siblings said anything other than a goodnight for the rest of the night. Everyone just seemed that tired.  
  
******  
  
In the early dawn hours of the next day, the guards on the wall were surprised to see a large group of weary travelers approaching the doors of the manor. If it weren't for the children and wounded people in the group, the soldiers might have sounded the battle alarm. Instead that rang the gong to alert the manor that visitors were coming.  
  
The doors were opened and servants of the dono greeted the refugees along with their protectors as they came in. They were given food, fresh water, and healers came to see to their wounds. The weary travelers were shocked and frightened by the number of wounded soldiers in the courtyard of the dono. But others were quick to assure them that the danger that had threatened them was gone.  
  
Miroku didn't say anything, but he wasn't so sure about the danger being gone. He was definitely sensing the presence of youki close by. Amazingly enough, he was also sensing houriki as well, not that strong, but there nonetheless. He was curious why these two powers were in such close proximity to each other and yet no one seemed alarmed by this. But he wasn't given much time to ask, servants were pressing food and medicines on him and it took him a while to get away from them all.  
  
"Well, this seems like an unusual manor, Sango," he mumbled.  
  
Sango, who had managed to reach his side, nodded. "I wonder what happened to make their mood so happy? With all that's happened recently, you would think that they would be more somber."  
  
******  
  
Inuyasha woke up to see Hikaru sitting by the basket, which held her possessions. Juanyu and Myouga were still asleep in their beds. He got up slowly, after yesterday he had no desire to wake the others up.  
  
"Hikaru, what are you doing?" he whispered. He could see her taking out jars and small packets of some kind of cloth and separating them into two different piles. What those piles were, he had no idea.  
  
"I'm checking my medical supplies, ani-chan," she replied in a whisper as well. "After all those patients we treated last night, I realized that it has been a while since I've checked my stores. Now I know that there are a few that need to be replenished."  
  
Inuyasha frowned. He hadn't thought about her supplies either. "Is there any that you need to restock on right now?"  
  
She nodded, "There are a few here that do. I should be able to make some more with little problem. I thought that I saw the herbs that I need in the fields outside of the manor. I go out today and collect what I need."  
  
"All right. But be careful, imooto-san. We made have gotten rid of one nuisance yesterday, but that doesn't mean that there aren't others out there," he said.  
  
She nodded. Then she removed from the basket a small cloth bag that she slung over one shoulder and a small knife. "I should be back by this afternoon, Inuyasha. Don't worry about me," she said. The hanyou was relieved to see that his sister took her sword with her.  
  
******  
  
Yawnin hunched down and tried his hardest not to gobble the food that was being offered to him. It had been several days since he had had a decent meal. Everyone left the village in such a hurry that none of them had thought to bring any food, the louts!  
  
He had never thought that things would turn out like this! The young man thought that with his grandfather out of the way and he as the headman, things would be easy for him. Especially with that bitch banished from the village.  
  
But instead, a week after he had taken leadership over the village, the damn wolves and Sanusha had returned. And now the village had been destroyed and everyone that had managed to escape was forced to flee to this dono for refuge and help.  
  
He glanced up and nearly choked on the rice in his mouth. Walking along the outer wall, heading outside was that damn bitch Hikaru. He thought that he had seen the last of her when he watched her walk of the village with that other hanyou and Yawnin's cursed cousin.  
  
With a great effort, he managed to swallow the mouthful that was attempting to kill him and abandoned the rest of the food. It would have no taste to him now. What he needed to do now was to find a way to get rid of that hanyou once and for all. A sinister smile came upon his face; identical to the one that he wore when he took an axe to Hikaru's markers. He knew what to do. He only had to convince them that killing Hikaru was the right thing to do.  
  
******  
  
Shippou practically gorged on the food given to him. Miroku and Sango had left him a few minutes ago to talk to that creepy headman that they had been traveling with. Just as well that they had left the kitsune behind. He never did like Yawnin. There was something scary about the guy.  
  
"How do you think we should handle this problem?" Miroku asked. Apparently he and Sango were returning. Shippou quickly finished his food and turned toward his friends.  
  
"So what did he want?" he asked, his mouth still partially filled with food.  
  
"He says that he saw a youkai that he knew heading out to the fields just a moment ago. According to him, this one was a source of some trouble for his village before the priest came. He has asked that we get rid of her for good. And this Hikaru can be very dangerous," replied Sango.  
  
"He doesn't want to bother the guards since it's obvious that most of them are too wounded to fight her. So we're going instead. Shippou, please stay here," Miroku said. The little kitsune nodded an agreement and his friends took Kiarara and left the courtyard.  
  
For the moment at least, Shippou was on his own. There were other children from the village that he could play with and it looked that several of them were getting a game started. With a sight smile on his face, he jumped up and went over to join.  
  
******  
  
Inuyasha walked along the outer hallway feeling both relief and boredom settling in. He thought that it would be a good idea to check on how Hikaru's patients form last night were doing and to see if there was anything that he could do to help if needed. Fortunately they all seemed to be fine and were intent on singing her praises to him, as if he didn't already know how a great miko she was. His pride for her swelled a little bit and he left them resting in their beds. But now there was nothing for him to do.  
  
The sounds of children's laughter came to his ears along with their scent. And amongst the various smells was one that he recognized but didn't think that he would smell again so soon.  
  
"Shippou?"  
  
He dashed off and found himself in the front courtyard where apparently a large group of people had come in to seek refuge with the dono. Near the main building, a group of children were playing with the little kitsune. Adding to his surprise, Inuyasha recognized some of the other children as ones that were in the village that Hikaru use to protect.  
  
He jumped down near them and stared in shock. It certainly was them, but what the hell were they doing here? Looking around, he remembered several of the people as from the same village as well. What happened? Why are they all here?  
  
At that moment, one of the children had taken noticed of the hanyou and stopped.  
  
"Inuyasha-san!! You're here! Hurray!" little Sora cried out, ran up to him, and hugged his waist.  
  
It was indeed Juanyu's imooto. It confirmed for the hanyou that these people were from the village where Hikaru had stayed for two years. But what were they doing here?  
  
"Inuyasha? Is it really you?" Shippou asked. He and the rest of the children had stopped in their play and were now surrounding the hanyou and Sora. The kitsune jumped onto Inuyasha's head and tugged at the ears. "It looks like it's really you."  
  
With a twitching eyebrow Inuyasha grabbed Shippou with one hand and brought him to face level. "Of course it's me, you baka! Who else do you think it could be?"  
  
++ 'baka' is a general term meaning moron, idiot, stupid; things like that.  
  
Tears formed in Shippou's eyes and he actually hugged Inuyasha's face. "It is you! It really is you! Where the hell have you been, Inuyasha? Everyone has been worried about you!" he cried.  
  
The hanyou pulled the kitsune off, "I've been busy. I'll explain later. Are Miroku and Sango with you?"  
  
Shippou nodded, "They were but they had to go with and fight some youkai. The headman said that he had seen a youkai that had been troubling the village and asked that they help him."  
  
"Youkai? What youkai? I haven't sensed anything weird since I've been here."  
  
"Someone named Hikaru."  
  
"Wha...? Where did they go?"  
  
Shippou pointed. "Over the wall. Out to the fields I think. Anyway, that's where Yawnin said that he saw the youkai going."  
  
"Dammit. Come on, Shippou, we've got to go!"  
  
"Go? Go where, Inuyasha?"  
  
"To stop a fight." 


	26. Reunionof sorts

Hikaru smiled as she tied off another clustered of herbs and put them into her half filled bag. There were many of the herbs she needed to replenish her stock right in this field. The miko could hardly believe her luck. Only a little bit left to find, she should be finished here and back in the castle before lunchtime. She stood and let her nose lead her to the next herb that she needed to find.

"Any trace of the youkai we're looking for, houshi-sama?" Sango asked. She and Miroku were riding on Kiarara over a wide wild field edged by a forest. It was in this area that the youkai was supposedly headed towards. There was something about this venture that worried her. It wasn't the youkai that they would be facing, but rather the source of the information.

To put it simply, the exterminator trusted Yawnin about as much as she would Naraku. There was something wrong here she just knew it. But she couldn't fathom what it could be.

"Yes, I am sensing something not too far from here. Let's land and proceed the rest of the way on foot, Sango," Miroku replied. She nodded and instructed Kiarara to the ground. There the animal changed to her smaller, cuter form and leapt to her mistress' shoulder.

"Let's go."

"Dammit, Inuyasha, what's the big hurry for? Who's going to be murdered?" Shippou shouted into the hanyou's ear. This was weird. He hadn't been reunited for less than a minute with dog-boy when Inuyasha got panicky and started after Miroku and Sango. And what was this about a murder? He desperately wanted some answers.

"Meh, this is no time for questions, Shippou. Now, which way did they go?" he replied. The kitsune sighed as he realized that Inuyasha wouldn't get the irony of what he just said. Instead, he pointed in the direction he last saw the humans going towards.

Inuyasha hurried as fast as he could to reach the others before they met each other. Damn it all to hell, this was not how he wanted his imooto-san to meet his friends. Whoever was responsible for this mess was going to pay dearly for it. He would see to that.

Hikaru leaned against a tall tree and for a moment, stopped and just listened to the sounds of the forest. Her life had been so chaotic and busy that this was the first time that she could take the time to just be.

The feeling was short-lived as her senses caught at least two, maybe three people trying to sneak up on her. She could smell two humans and a low level youkai. One of the humans had houriki, so that one was some kind of houshi or miko.

Slowly, Hikaru stood and braced herself for an attack. Her ears picked up something whirling through the air towards her and she jumped just as it got to her. The hanyou looked down and saw that it was a large curved wooden weapon that smashed the ground where she had been until a second ago.

Landing on a tree branch, Hikaru was able to see who her attackers were. One was dressed as a houshi and had the power to go with it. The other was the young woman that had thrown that strange weapon. She was wearing some sort of suit of armor. And on her shoulder was an adorable little animal that Hikaru couldn't find any reference for.

"Well, looks like she's stronger than Yawnin said that she was," Miroku commented as he watched Sango catch her weapon with little effort.

"Indeed, her senses are finer than he said that would be. But then, there was little that he could tell us about her abilities. What should our be next move, houshi-sama?" Sango said.

"I'm not sure, normally Inuyasha would be taking the lead and charging with sword drawn. Let's split up and try attacking her from both sides," he replied. She nodded and they took off in opposite directions.

Meanwhile, in the tree Hikaru stood sill and listened to the approach of her opponents. She had no idea who they could be, but she didn't want to harm them. Instead after tracking them for a few minutes, she leapt from the tree branches and made her way back to the field. As she moved, the wind changed direction, coming towards her. It brought to her a welcoming scent.

"Ani-chan!" she whispered.

Inuyasha reached the field and tried to catch his imooto-san's scent. But the plants and the wind change were working against him. But it had led him here and the scent wasn't old; she had to be here or somewhere close by.

On his shoulder, Shippou looked around in boredom and slight bewilderment. Then he saw someone come up from the forest and land in the field. It was too far away to make out any details.

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha! There's someone over there," he said pointing. The hanyou turned in the direction that kitsune pointed in and sighed with relief.

"She's all right," he whispered. Louder he called out to her. She waved back and they ran to each other.

"Are you all right, Hikaru?" he demanded, looking her over for any visible injuries or obvious scents. He felt more relief as he saw and smelled her unharmed.

"I'm all right, Inuyasha. But there is a small problem."

"What?

"There are two humans in the forest that intend harm upon me. I don't know who they are; but one of them felt like a priest to me. His companion wields some kind of large wooden weapon that I have never seen before," she explained.

"That sounds like Sango and Miroku," Shippou said. He had no idea who this girl was, but he knew that she better not be Inuyasha's girlfriend. Dog-boy was having enough trouble with Kagome and Kikyou. He didn't need another one to complicate things.

"Yeah, it does sound like them. Gyah! When I find out whoever sent them out here, I'll make them regret it." He clenched his hands in anger. Hikaru frowned and quickly took one of his hands in her own.

"Don't say things like that, Inuyasha. That won't do anyone any good. It might make you feel better; but beating someone to a bloody pulp will cause more troubles than it's worth," she said softly.

Inuyasha looked at her and his expression softened. "All right. If that is what you want..."

"Yes, it is."

"Dammit," he mumbled.

Hikaru's ears had picked up what he had said and was going to comment on it when her ears also picked up other sounds that she should be heeding.

"They're here," she said.

Miroku and Sango hurried through the woods back the way that they had gone. Their target had sensed their presence and their intent and had left the woods. She had backtracked back to the large field that Kiarara had landed in before they started this whole thing.

They reached the field and would have kept running but what beheld their eyes forced them to stop.

There was Inuyasha with Shippou on his shoulder, like nothing was wrong. Standing in front of him was the youkai that they had been after. Now that he had a moment to reflect, she didn't look much like a youkai more like a hanyou. But he might be only thinking because she was standing next to one. And she was a cutie as well. If circumstances were different, he might actually try to flirt with her.

"Inuyasha! Is that really you?" he cried out and began to run again. After a moment's shocked hesitation Sango joined him.

"Damn! How many times do I have to be asked that!" he shouted in reply.

Miroku smiled. It was definitely Inuyasha all right.

The girl with him smiled as well. "Probably a few more times, ani-chan. Aren't there a lot of people who miss you?"

"An...ani-chan?" Sango stuttered. Hikaru's words had caught them by surprise and were silent for a moment. Sweat drops appeared on Inuyasha and Hikaru.

"Yeah, this is Hikaru, my imooto-san," Inuyasha said by way of introduction.

The others seemed to have come out of shock and moved closer to the girl hanyou for a closer look.

"You know, she matches the description that Myouga-san gave us on Inuyasha's imooto-san. But didn't he say that she was dead?" Sango said.

"The flea was wrong. My parents never said that. Hikaru was taken from us when she was a baby and they were sworn not to tell anyone about her," Inuyasha explained.

Shippou hopped from Inuyasha's shoulder to Hikaru's and smiled. "I'm glad to meet you. I'm also glad that you're his imooto-san," he said.

"Really?"

The kitsune nodded, "I was worried that he had was getting another lover."

There was a loud thud that had resulted from when Inuyasha hit Shippou on the head sending him to the ground.

"Ow! Inuyasha, what was that for?"

"Just shut up or I'll hit you again," the hanyou growled.

"Are they always like that?" Hikaru asked Sango and Miroku.

"I'm afraid so. But don't worry, nothing really comes of it. And I must apologize for earlier. Sango and I should not have attacked you in that manner. My name is Miroku," Miroku replied.

"I am Sango. And he's right, we should apologize for what we nearly did."

"No, no. It's all right. None of us have gotten hurt, so it's all right. But I am curious as why you would make the attempt."

"The headman of the villagers we guided to the manor said that you were a dangerous youkai. He also said that things would be better if you were killed and asked that we do the job," Sango explained.

"Headman? What headman?"

"Probably Yawnin. You told me that the bastard never liked you staying in the village after you got rid of Sanusha," Inuyasha said.

Miroku and Sango looked surprised. "That's right, Inuyasha. But how did you know that?"

"Yawnin was the name of the headman of the village where I lived for two years. I was acted as healer and miko for them. He became headman after the death of his grandfather. When he gained the position he said that I was to leave," Hikaru said with dread growing in her heart. Miroku and Sango said that they had guided a village here. It had to be her village, but what were they all doing here? Her wards should have kept them safe. Something was painfully wrong here.

"But then why would he ask that we kill you?" Miroku said.

"Let's head back to the dono's manor and ask the dumb ass himself," Inuyasha said. Everyone agreed and followed.


	27. Explanations

Yawnin smiled as he walked the courtyard that was filled with his charges. Sometimes he would stop and have a few words with one and leave them feeling a bit relieved. They thought that he was happy that they were all safe and mostly (miraculously) unharmed. And now that they were in the dono's manor, things should be looking up for them.

The truth was Yawnin was smiling because he was confident that he had seen the last of the bitch Hikaru. The houshi and the exterminator should be more than enough to take care of the hanyou. He regretted not being able to be there to witness the death, but he couldn't risk it for two reasons.

One, there was a chance that Hikaru would see him and recognize him. Then there would be many awkward questions that he would rather not answer. Second, he was a coward by nature and inclination. The hanyou would fight back and he might get caught in the crossfire.

So he had to content himself with fantasies about what the man and woman were going to do to Hikaru. And what crossed what passed for his mind pleased him greatly.

Inuyasha was ready to kill someone. And that someone was a certain damn headman. He had learned from Sango and Miroku that it had been Yawnin that who sent them after his imooto-san. The hanyou was determined that the bastard would pay for this.

He was walking back to the manor with the others by his side. He wanted to run and get his clawed hands around the headman's throat, but Hikaru had a tight grip on his arm. It was clear that if he tried to get away, she would pull him back

Truth be told, she didn't want her ani-chan doing anything rash and that could land him in serious trouble. But mostly, the miko wanted an explanation from the human. Afterwards, Inuyasha could do almost anything he wished.

Shippou rode on her shoulder and she half listened to the downpour of questions that the little kitsune had for her. She spoke cheerfully, not wanting to get her aniki any more upset than he already was.

The small group reached the manor without further incident and was allowed inside, although the guards were a bit confused on how they managed to get outside in the first place.

Still clustered in the courtyard, the villagers stood gaping when they saw their guardians entering with their former miko in tow. They had never imagined that they would see her again. But here she was, walking in with the other hanyou that she had left with so many weeks ago.

The children whom had returned to their parents took one look at Hikaru and shrieked with joy. Then they ran to her and gathered around, pelting her with questions. A genuine smile came upon Hikaru's features and she laughed with the children as she tried to answer their insistent queries.

Inuyasha and the others couldn't help but smile as they watched the miko with the children. Eventually the other villagers overcame their shock and approached Hikaru. They had questions of their own, mostly ones on medicine and asking for advice. For a moment, it was as if she had never been separated from them.

"What the...? Hey, what the hell are you doing here, you bitch!" a voice yelled from across the courtyard and drawing closer. Everyone stopped talking and turned to the owner of the voice.

It was Yawnin. He stalked over to the gathering, fury and disbelief written plain on his face. How could the damn hanyou still be alive? Didn't the exterminator and the priest catch or something? There was no way that she could have beaten both of them.

He stopped short though when he caught sight of Miroku and Sango. Their expressions were of disgust and contempt. It was a good thing that he didn't look over at Inuyasha. His face was simple, cold fury. Becoming headman hadn't changed this man one iota. If nothing else, he had become even more arrogant and pompous since the last time that they met.

Yawnin managed to recover some of his demeanor and focused his glare on Hikaru. "Again, what are you doing here? I have a right to know," he demanded.

Hikaru's right ear twitched and she was able to return Yawnin's glare with a stronger force. "You have a right? Since when? Last I had heard you were a headman, definitely not a dono. You have no right to ask me that," she replied coldly.

The headman blinked for a moment and took a step back. He had never seen her like this before. Usually when she was asked something, she would politely answer no matter how outrageous the question might be. And she had always shown deference to the elders in the village. What had happened to her?

Around him the villagers hide smirks behind hands and sudden coughing fits. A smote of pride had developed in them all. Just because the youngster was their headman, it did not by any stretch of the imagination mean that they liked him. He was arrogant and had lofty ambitions for himself. Seeing him being put down into his place was a delight to see.

"But you do have some explaining to do, headman," Miroku said. Yawnin blinked again and faced the priest.

"What could you ever mean, houshi-sama?"

"I mean, why did you send Sango and myself out to kill Hikaru-san?" he stated. Yawnin entertained the idea of lying to the priest, but Miroku's expression showed that he was not in the mood for such things.

The other villagers gasped at Miroku's statement and the children briefly wailed and clung to the miko. If she weren't a hanyou than she would have fallen to her knees under the weight of them all.

"How could you, Yawnin? How could you ask these nice people to hurt Hikaru-san?" Sora cried out as she clung to an arm.

"I...I had to, houshi-sama. She was a danger to us all. And she still is! Am I the only one that realizes what she is? She's a hanyou! Half human and half youkai! We can't possibly trust her!" he yelled.

"Is that why you destroyed her wards?" Sora asked innocently.

The adults stared in shock as Sora and the rest of the children emptied their pockets onto the ground in between Hikaru and Yawnin. No one said anything until the last child added the contents of his pockets to the pile. Then Hikaru with shaking hands picked up a piece of wood with some carving still intact. She breathed a few words and the runes on the wood glowed a soft light. The illumination revealed the tears that threatened to run down her cheeks.

"This is indeed mine. It still responds to my command," she murmured.

Miroku leaned down and studied the pile with a scrutiny that only he commanded. "I can still sense the power resonating within these pieces," he said. The houshi looked up at the miko with admiration clear on his face. "I'm very impressed, Hikaru-san. You must have a lot of houriki in order to have left this good of an impression on your wards."

She blushed at his words. "I didn't want to have to recharge them that often and I'm not that familiar with how wards and seals are done in this country. I wanted them to last."

"And so they have, even when they were destroyed."

By this point, all of the villagers had turned to their headman with malice in their eyes. Two of the burliest men in the village stepped forward and grabbed Yawnin by the arms and held him tight.

"Wha...what is this? Why are you doing this? Let me go this instant!" he demanded and struggled fruitlessly against his captors. It wasn't hard for the hanyou to smell the fear that was beginning to ripen his scent.

"Why should we?" demanded one villager.

"I'm your headman," replied Yawnin.

The villagers glared at him in open malice. "You were our headman," a woman said.

"What?"

"Because of you, we lost the best protection our village ever had, twice!"

"We lost our homes because of you!"

"A man is blind and someone died because you destroyed the wards!"

Yawnin was lost in what to do. But he did try to do what he thought was best. "But...but she's a hanyou! After what Sanusha had done to our village, how could we trust her?" he explained. Spittle flew from his mouth as he spoke. He tried to rationalize what he had done to the villagers and tried to get them to see his point of view.

But none of them wanted to hear a word of it. They decided that they would take Yawnin to the dono and allow him to choose the man's fate for what he had done.

As they left, Hikaru knelt down by the pile of what was once her wards and was silent. Inuyasha crouched down by her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you al right, imooto-chan?" he whispered.

"I...I never knew..." she murmured.

"Huh? Knew what?"

She looked at Inuyasha with tears forming in her eyes. "I never knew that Yawnin hated me so. I mean, I know that he never approved of me...but this?"

He smiled softly at her and used his other hand to wipe the tears away. "I guess that you never had to experience the prejudice hanyou have to deal with. We're neither completely human or youkai; we don't really belong with either of them. It's not unusual for humans to attack us and hate us because of what we are," he said.

"But we don't choose what we are born as! We didn't have any say in the matter."

"Doesn't matter with them. They don't think like that," Inuyasha said as he held her close. "You just have to learn to deal with it."

"Fortunately, there are people who are willing to deal with hanyou on an individual basis," Miroku said.

He and Sango smiled at the hanyou and were gladdened at how Inuyasha wasn't afraid to act gentle around them. He quickly recovered though and stood quickly. Feeling a bit better, Hikaru also stood.

"Miroku, can you show me where this blind man is? I'd like to se if I can help him," she said.

He nodded and he and Sango led the way to the room where the poor priest was staying. The dono had taken great pity on the man and insisted that the man stay at the manor instead of the villagers' camp. Hikaru recognized him the minute that she saw him.

"Oh no, not you..." she whispered as she hurried to his side. As she looked at his wounds, the others respectfully stayed at the door.

"Miroku," Inuyasha said.

The monk looked at the hanyou, "Yes, Inuyasha?"

"Hikaru is my imooto-chan."

"Yes, I know that."

"Just understand that I will hurt you badly if you suggest to her what you suggest to almost every woman that we meet."

Miroku had the grace to look offended but he understood and was a little frightened inside. The hanyou had changed since he was kidnapped all those months ago. He looked at Hikaru and realized the truth.

Hikaru is having the same effect on Inuyasha as Kagome, he realized. This could be a very good thing for Inuyasha.

"I'm sorry, houshi-san, there isn't anything that I can do to help you regain your sight. The wounds are too old for any of my medicines to be effective. If I had gotten to you when you were attacked..."

"If you had been there, we wouldn't have been attacked in the first place. Yawnin was wrong, you're no youkai, at least, not completely," Yugi said in a calm voice. He seemed to have accepted what Fate had handed him.

"I'm sorry that this had to happen to you," Hikaru said.

"Don't be, miko-sama, you've done what you can to help the people that were ahead of me, I've heard them talking. They adore you for what you have done. And I must admit that I'm impressed and a bit envious; I know that even with my sight that I could not have done what you have. Don't let the Yawnins of this world trouble you." Having said that, he settled in his bed to sleep.

Whether it was a true sleep or he was feigning, Hikaru left him with some medicine for any headaches that would come as a result of the blindness. She then left the room with her ani-chan and new friends.

at dusk that same day, Inuyasha and his friends left the dono and made started continued the trip back to Kaede's village. The dono had wanted them to stay with him as warriors, but the hanyou declined. They needed to get moving again. Instead the dono gave Inuyasha and Hikaru a gift to show his appreciation for their courage and compassion.

The villages had begged Hikaru to remain with them, but she managed to convince them that she had already made a commitment to somewhere else. They were saddened to see her go, but they saw that she had somewhere else she needed to be. The dono did promise to care for the villagers until such time that he could find them a new place to settle.

"That was certainly very kind of the dono to make that promise to help the villagers," Shippou said.

"Not really," Miroku replied.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I imagine that Inuyasha and Hikaru persuaded him to help them, Juanyu too."

The half-humans in question said nothing in reply to the implied accusation, but Juanyu was smiling.

Sorry about the late update, a lot has been happening. I promise to at least finish this story.


	28. Meetings

Kaede sipped her tea and watched Juanyu chop firewood for the day. It was nice to have someone else be able to tend to her daily chores. Shippou was too young; such a thing was beneath Miroku-san, and half the time Inuyasha couldn't be bothered.

Thinking of the hanyou, she was amazed that he was still alive after all. It was certainly a miraculous thing. And his imooto-san. She was everything that Inuyasha was not. Although according to Myouga, they were having an influence on each other. The old miko frowned when she realized that she hadn't seen either of them this day.

"Juanyu, does thee know what has happened to Inuyasha and Hikaru?"

He paused in his chore and faced her. "I don't know, Kaede-san. The last I had seen of them, Inuyasha-sama and Hikaru-sama were heading towards the forest," he pointed in the direction of the Bone Eater's Well.

She smiled and leaned against her home. So he was taking Hikaru to meet Kagome. A good idea. She just wished that she could be present for the first meeting.

"Where are we going again, ani-chan?"

"I'm taking you to meet Kagome and bring her back here. There are more Shikon shards to look for," Inuyasha replied.

"Uh-huh. Why then do we have to go into the forest to do so? Why doesn't Kagome live the village with the others?"

"Because she doesn't. I can't explain it well. It's better to show you."

"And why do I have to go? Can't you just go get her and bring her back? There isn't any reason for me to be present, is there?"

Inuyasha glanced at the hanyou girl. "Is something wrong, Hikaru?"

She blushed and turned her head to one side. "I'm just afraid that she might not like me. I mean, I have heard such wonderful things about her from the others…maybe it would be better if I had not come here."

Pain exploded in her head as Inuyasha hit her. "Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"Don't be an idiot, Hikaru."

"Huh?"

"I'm doing this for both of you." He sighed. "Listen, I don't always go sentimental, but I have to say this. You and Kagome mean a lot to me. I want you both to get along. I think that it might be better if you two met before we rejoined the others."

She smiled slightly and said nothing for the rest of the walk. The siblings came upon an old well that seemed to be in an odd place. She got even more curious when she couldn't smell any moisture.

"Inuyasha, what's with that well? It doesn't seem like any well that I've come across before."

"That's the Bone Eater's Well. That's also how we get to Kagome."

He grabbed her hand and they both leapt into the well. As they reached the bottom, it got darker than it should be at midday. Then she saw little pricks of light, almost like stars. Suddenly she found herself in the bottom of the well, but it now was in some sort of building. There was also a rope ladder in here.

"Where are we?"

"At the shrine where Kagome lives."

Inuyasha easily leapt up to the outer rim of the well and Hikaru followed close behind. They were in a small building surrounding the well. She could smell unfamiliar scents coming from underneath the edge of the door in front of them. For the first time since she had met her ani-chan, Hikaru was afraid. She clutched the rim of the well for dear life.

Inuyasha saw her reluctance and gently brought her to his side. "It'll be all right, Hikaru. You're safe with me." Hikaru said nothing but gulped in reply. He smiled at her and opened the door.

Hikaru was surprised at what she saw. This was definitely a shrine, but none that she had ever seen in Japan. Also, the horizon was filled with strange buildings that defied everything she had known. And the scents that assaulted her nose nearly made her gag. Only Inuyasha's presence kept her together. He had been here before, and he didn't look afraid. She had to trust that he knew what he was doing.

Kagome trudged up the shrine stairs in silence. It had been over two months since Inuyasha had been swallowed by that fish youkai. And there hadn't been any word from the others that he might be alive. She stopped to force herself not to cry. She had to believe that he was still out there. Inuyasha had gotten out of tougher situations just fine. He had to come back. He had to….

She pushed those thoughts away and concentrated on getting home. Kagome had homework to do and a little bit of studying. Not as much as she use to, staying in her own time for more than three days had seriously helped her grades. But somehow, that didn't cheer her as much as it would have. She really missed Inuyasha.

Up ahead, she could hear voices at the shrine. Probably here to buy some charms. Strange thing was, one of the voices sounded like Inuyasha. Kagome shook her head. Now she was beginning to hear voices. She really had to get the hanyou off her mind.

Her jaw dropped as she stopped at the top of the stairs. She was either hallucinating or this was real. Inuyasha was standing only a few yards away from her, alive and well. "Inuyasha," she whispered.

It was loud enough that he heard her. He smiled in that cocky way of his. "Kagome! You're here!"

Tears welled up in her eyes and she ran towards him. She stopped when she was a few feet away from him. She could hardly believe it was him. All the pent emotions from over the past months burst out in one phrase: "Inuyasha, sit!"

Inuyasha hit the ground with a grunt and a thud. This hands twitched in pain. Behind him, Hikaru gasped and stepped forward to examine the rosary.

"So that is what this is for. The others told me that the rosary would only respond to Kagome's voice. But they didn't tell what exactly it did." She fingered the beads through her fingers, feeling the power that lay within.

"Huh? Who are you?"

The hanyou looked up and smiled at Kagome. "You must be Kagome." She stood and took Kagome's hands into her own. "It's so nice to meet you. I've heard so much about you. My name is Hikaru, I'm Inuyasha's imooto-chan."

Kagome stared at her in bewilderment. "Sister? But how, Myouga said that you were dead."

"He misunderstood what our parents said. They simply said that she was gone and the damn flea thought that she had died," replied Inuyasha from the ground. He had propped his head up with his arms and was watching the two girls. "She only recently returned to Japan and was able to join me."

Kagome smiled in return to Hikaru's, "Well, I'm glad that you've come back. It must have been quite a shock to find out that Inuyasha was your ani-chan, neh?"

Hikaru nodded. "You bet I was. But we've been able to get along pretty well."

"That's good. Inuyasha has enough sibling trouble. It'd be terrible if he got any more," Kagome blurted out. She blushed and looked embarrassed. The hanyou didn't seem to pay attention to her last remark and instead Inuyasha stirred them to the house.

"Let's get inside. We'll head back tomorrow." The girls smiled and followed behind talking to each other.

In the house, Sota was playing a video game while Mom and Grandpa were enjoying some tea. They were all surprised to see Inuyasha again. Their surprise increased in meeting his imooto. They were invited to join the Higurashi family for dinner. The hanyou had no choice but to accept.

Later that night, Kagome was laying in bed with Hikaru on the floor in a sleeping bag. Inuyasha was settled sleeping on the couch downstairs. Although it was late, neither girl was tired. It had been an exciting day.

"So, tell me, Hikaru, what do you think?"

"Think of what?"

"Of me," Kagome said.

Hikaru was silent and rustled in the bag. "I'll tell you the truth if you do me the same favor."

"All right."

"I think that you are a very brave girl for standing up for ani-chan like you do. And I think that he needs someone like you there for him. You are willing to accept him for what he is; most people have distrust for anything not completely human. But you don't. I think that is a very good thing."

Kagome smiled and opened her mouth to speak when she saw Hikaru's expression. She was miffed about something and her ears were twitching. Kagome followed her gaze out of her window, but she didn't see anything.

"Kagome."

"Yeah?"

"What is that word again? The one that you use on Inuyasha."

"Oh. Sit."

Outside there was a yelp and a crash in the tree. Kagome rushed to the window and looked down. Laying on his stomach, Inuyasha groaned and stayed still for a moment before getting up.

Kagome twitched and was tempted to say the command again, but Hikaru's hand on her shoulder stopped her. The hanyou shook her head. They returned to their beds and continued talking.

"Thanks for that. I didn't know that he was out there."

Hikaru twitched her ears again. "I have the family ears. I can hear as good as he can."

The human smiled. "That's good to know. You know, I think that you're good for him as well. All his life he has known that Sesshomaru could care less about him. But now he has some family that does care about him." She was silent for a moment. "It seems that he's desperate for us to get to know each other. Do you know why that is?"

Hikaru nodded, "We both mean something to him for different reasons. Since that is so, it would be easier for him if we got along. He doesn't want to have to chose between us."

Kagome smiled and the two girls said goodnight. The light went off and they slept.

The next morning they were laughing together and Hikaru had Kagome's backpack on. They were all ready to go.

Inuyasha inwardly was relieved that they were getting along; but he was still annoyed by what they did last night. He was only concerned for their welfare and they acted as if he was eavesdropping on them. All right, he was willing to admit that he was eavesdropping, that was hardly just cause to use the command on him. He sighed and headed to the well. It was time to head back. Things were definitely going to change now, he could feel it. Maybe having Hikaru around would change their luck.


End file.
